Seth Biderman
K-12 English/Humanities Spanish, Test Prep, and College Application Advisor
After studying education at Brown University, Seth began his teaching career working with 5-8 year olds in summer programs inspired by the Reggio Emilia model, and went on to teach students at nearly every grade level, including nine years of full-time classroom teaching experience in English Language Arts, social studies, Spanish, PE and science. A published writer of short stories, op-eds and feature-length journalism, Seth loves supporting young people as they develop the skills and confidence they need to write with power, grace and purpose.
His classroom experience is mostly in secondary schools, and includes six years teaching 7th-12th grade English and social studies at Monte del Sol Charter School in Santa Fe, NM, where he was also dean of students for one year; two years teaching 10th-12th grade English and creative writing at Colegio Bolivar, an independent American school in Cali, Colombia; and one year teaching 10th grade English at EL Haynes Charter School in Washington, DC. Most recently, he spent four years as principal of the middle school at Inspired Teaching Demonstration Charter School, also in DC. He has also tutored students in test preparation, writing, essay writing, and organizational skills.
Seth's educational philosophy is deeply grounded in progressive, child-centered models. The starting point of any meaningful learning experience is the relationship between teacher and student, and Seth ensures that his students feel safe, seen, autonomous and competent; and that learning is both purposeful and fun. He begins by identifying a student's strengths, interests and goals, and taps into the motivational power of these to guide the student toward mastery of new concepts and materials.
At various points in his career, Seth has taken time away from teaching to pursue his love of writing, and is currently a freelance writer and editor. He is an avid soccer player (and has been to four men's World Cup tournaments), a struggling guitarist, a reader, and backpacker. He was born and raised in Santa Fe, NM, and has lived in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Spain. He lives in Takoma, DC, with his wife, his 13 year-old daughter, and everybody's favorite dog, Coco.
