I can’t imagine teaching anywhere else. Co-teaching is an incredible thing, every day you have someone to bounce ideas off and someone to help you grow as a teacher and a person. The student/teacher relationship at CRS is unique. The relationships you can build with students and parents are ones that can last a lifetime.
Rachel joined CRS in 1999, working in both fifth and sixth grades, transitioning to the fifth-grade co-teacher a few years later. Prior to teaching at CRS, Rachel worked in the Cambridge Public Schools and at Belmont Day School. Rachel has a passion for helping students understand the many ways in which different curricular topics connect, not just to each other but also to the wider world. Fostering curiosity is an important aspect of the fifth-grade experience. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Connecticut College, a graduate diploma from the New England School of Art and Design, and a master’s in education from Lesley University with an emphasis on integrating art into the curriculum.
The energy on campus is so positive, so optimistic, so collaborative, and so joyful. CRS is the type of school I wish I had gone to as a child. I believe in the progressive approach that is taught throughout CRS and the authentic way the children learn through hands-on experiences that engage them and allow them to apply what they are learning to the world around them.
Annie joined CRS more than 20 years ago, and her current role includes science teacher for Grades 3-5. She has also coached girls field hockey and lacrosse teams and served as an Admissions Associate. Annie is passionate about integrating her students’ work in science with the thematic curriculum at each grade level. She works to interest her students in protecting the environment. As part of her curriculum, Annie undertakes citizen science projects with her students, where they collect and report real-life data to scientists; this work provides an opportunity for students to do both community service and science. Annie’s other passions include photography and sports. She earned her bachelor’s degree in English from St. Lawrence University.
Kristin began teaching at Charles River School in 1990, and has been committed to its mission and evolution as a school ever since. Previous to CRS, she taught PreK/K at the Dandelion School in Cambridge and art in an after-school program at the Heath School in Brookline. She is creative, artistic, and skilled at developing and teaching an integrated and thematic curriculum. Kristin cares deeply about creating a classroom where each child is known, respected, loved, and challenged. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts and Tufts, and a master’s in education from the University of Massachusetts.
Sarah Fishman joined CRS in the Fall of 2022. Before teaching at CRS, she taught a combined grades 3 and 4 class at Mackintosh Academy in Littleton, Colorado, an International Baccalaureate school focused on childhood inquiry and curiosity. Prior, Sarah gained much of her experience through a teaching fellowship program at Crane Country Day School in Santa Barbara, CA, where she started as a 2nd grade associate teacher and was promoted to the 4th grade lead teacher. Here she found her sweet spot in upper elementary!
Sarah earned her Master in Social Work from the University of Denver and is a certified school social worker. After working as a school counselor for a range of ages between kindergarten and 12th grade, Sarah found she deeply missed the classroom for both the academics as well as the plethora of social emotional learning and growth that happens daily. Sarah takes pride in forming deep, unique relationships with each student, figuring out how they learn best. She loves to push children toward their “aha” moments and help them see how resilience through challenges results in the fulfilling feeling of pride. She can often be seen out at recess, joyfully playing any and all sport or game with students and also serves as a field hockey coach in the fall.
It’s a treat and a challenge to assist students at all stages of their creative development. At each stage, every student requires something different; it’s exciting to find new ways to motivate and inspire while witnessing their growth.
An award-winning illustrator, Aaron has served as a member of the CRS faculty for over a decade. While the development of technical and observational skills is a rewarding process, Aaron says his primary goal as an educator is to help students develop creative problem-solving skills while instilling artistic mindfulness that they can utilize in all aspects of their lives and studies.
Recess might be my favorite time of day at Charles River School because it shows the value of community and the joy of childhood that CRS pursues. Watching kids from every grade play together, especially when the middle school students make time for the PreK/K students, warms my heart and reminds me that we all have so much to learn from each other at every age and stage of life.
Sarah joined Charles River School in 2020 and quickly fell in love with the CRS community and our approach to learning and teaching. As a co-teacher of the seventh and eighth-grade MultiArts curriculum, she recognized an opportunity for younger students to learn performance, presentation, and communication skills and developed a new class called Communication-Presentation (Comm-Pres). Sarah designed the curriculum to help students in grades 3-5 build the public speaking skills and confidence necessary to share their ideas with the world. In addition to MultiArts, Sarah directs the eighth-grade musical every year, a beloved tradition at CRS. She teaches the Growth Education curriculum for the seventh and eighth grades, focusing on a holistic approach to well-being, health, and growth. Sarah also serves as an advisor to seventh and eighth-grade students and runs Early Birds, the before-school care program.
Before CRS, Sarah worked as an actor and director in theatre, television, and commercials. She received her BFA in Theatre Arts from Elon University, where she was also selected to be an Isabella Cannon Leadership Fellow, completing an intensive four-year study and practical application of leadership.
At CRS, Billy has coached our girls soccer and boys basketball teams, and served as a substitute PE teacher, an after-school sports teacher through the Extended Day Program, and a team-building teacher. He has held a variety of sports instructor and coaching roles, working with children ages 5-14 through FC USA/UK Elite, the Nor’Easter North Soccer Club, and Be Ahead of the Game. Billy also served as the head soccer coach at Shady Hill School. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Mount Ida College, where he played on the varsity soccer, football, and volleyball teams, and trained with the men’s basketball team.
