Meet our Instructors
Mathematics Instructors
- Casey Hollister
- David Fleager
- Federico Chialvo
- Hy Tang
- Jerry Chen
- Michael Murphy
- Nick Rocha
- Suzan Pham
Casey Hollister :: chollister@sileducation.com
Instructional Coordinator
Instructor of Science, English & Mathematics
Casey Hollister is a teacher in both the science and English departments and serves as our Instructional Coordinator. She works closely with our administrators and Department Chairs to ensure a student-centered approach, and is a resource for our teachers.
She holds a Masters Degree in Education from Harvard Graduate School of Education, where her work focused on student-oriented curriculum and generative learning. Casey is an experienced teacher with a background in education consulting and teacher professional development. She has a profound respect for the role of the learner in education, and she brings insight into how learners build understanding and how powerful instruction can stimulate best thinking.
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David Fleager :: dfleager@sileducation.com
Instructor of Mathematics & Economics
Born and raised in El Paso, Texas, David moved to California in 1997 to study at Stanford University. While at Stanford, David mentored students at elementary schools throughout East Palo Alto. After graduating with a B.A. in Economics, David began his teaching career at SIL in 2001. David subsequently studied law, and earned a J.D. from the University of Texas at Austin. After working for several years in the financial sector, David returned to SIL to teach math and economics.
In his spare time, David enjoys anything involving sports, as well as finance and stocks, politics, reading, and spending time with his family.
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Federico Chialvo :: fchialvo@sileducation.com
Instructor of Mathematics
Federico was born in Tucuman, Argentina in the foothills of the Andes. When he was a young child his family moved to the United States, finally settling in Tucson, Arizona. He earned his BS in Mathematics and an MA in Language, Reading and Culture from the Graduate School of Education at the University of Arizona.
Federico has taught Kindergarten through 12th grade. In Tucson he helped found a high school, developing an accelerated project-based mathematics curriculum. Later he spent a year teaching at a K-8 school on a remote outer island in the Republic of the Marshall Islands, where he designed an integrated math, science and English curriculum. He also spent a year living in Costa Rica, working for an NGO on sustainable development projects, as well as interning in the Peace Education Department at the United Nations Mandated University for Peace and Conflict Studies.
He enjoys teaching at SIL, where he can tailor lessons to each student's needs, sharing with them the rich and interconnected world of mathematics.
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Hy Tang :: htang@sileducation.com
Instructor of Mathematics & Science
While Hy Tang hails from scenic Pennsylvania, he happily calls San Jose home. Before moving West, Hy graduated from Millersville University of Pennsylvania with a B.S. double-major in Mathematics and Physics.
Hy enjoys teaching and tutoring students of all ages, and enjoys working with a variety of personalities. When he’s not teaching math, Hy enjoys reading and watching science fiction.
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Jerry Chen :: jchen@sileducation.com
Instructor of Mathematics, Science, Health & Fitness
Jerry Chen was born in Taiwan, attended school in England and Hong Kong, and graduated from an American public high school. With a B.S. in Microbiology from UC Santa Barbara, and with graduate work in Exercise Physiology at San Francisco State University, his educational pursuits have always gravitated toward the health sciences and their applications to everyday life.
Jerry emulates the memorable teachers who have made his own scholastic experience so worthwhile. As he emphasizes the "fun" of learning science and math, Jerry strives to do more than educate: he hopes to inspire.
When he's not teaching at SIL, Jerry considers himself a dominant basketball player (when playing with opponents half his height), a skilled linguist in Mandarin and Japanese (when speaking to those who don’t speak it), and a virtuoso piano player (his grandparents tell him he is).
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Mary Richter :: mrichter@sileducation.com
Instructor of Mathematics
Curriculum Designer
Mary was born in Connecticut, and graduated from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering. At U. Mass, Mary was a Teacher’s Assistant, mentored freshman engineers, and volunteered as a Sunday school teacher at the Catholic center on campus.
Throughout her undergraduate years, she interned at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, at Florida State University, where she created superconductors. She also interned at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, where she developed special spacecraft coatings that react with light.
Mary brings a natural enthusiasm to every lesson. For several years, Mary was our Math Department Chair, and she wrote many of our math courses, from college prep to Advanced Placement. When she’s not teaching, Mary enjoys cooking, the outdoors, and spending time with her family.
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Michael Murphy :: mmurphy@sileducation.com
Instructor of Mathematics & Science
Michael Murphy hails from Milan, Illinois. He moved to California when he was ten years old, and has embraced life by the Bay. He holds an M.S. in Pure Mathematics from CSU East Bay, and a B.S. in Math Teaching.
He teaches with passionate enthusiasm that is motivating and contagious. When Mike’s not teaching math at SIL, he's working with gifted children on the weekends. To support his teaching, he regularly attends professional workshops on applied behavioral analysis.
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Nick Rocha :: nrocha@sileducation.com
Instructor of Mathematics & Economics
Student Government Advisor
Nick was born in Mountain View, California, and was raised in San Jose. He left the Bay to attend UCLA, where he studied Economics with an emphasis in Accounting. While at UCLA, Nick mentored students at Los Angeles elementary schools through programs such as America Reads and Amigos.
He’s the first person in his family to graduate from a four-year university, and is a role model to students in similar circumstances. As our Student Government Advisor, Nick offers a sense of community and leadership to our part-time and full-time students.
Nick has always centered himself through sport. He attended Piedmont Hills High School, where he wrestled and played golf and hockey. He played hockey at UCLA, and is often on the basketball court or golf course. When he’s not teaching or putting, Nick invests in his family and in the stock market.
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Suzan Pham :: spham@sileducation.com
Mathematics Department Chair
Instructor of Mathematics
Suzan is the Math Department Chair at School for Independent Learners. She graduated from U.C. Irvine with a B.S. in Mathematics and a minor in Biological Sciences. At California State University East Bay, Suzan is pursuing an M.S. in Applied Mathematics, with an emphasis in Dynamical Systems and Mathematical Biology.
Suzan wholeheartedly believes in our school's mantra, "One size does not fit all." Empowered by the freedom to individualize instruction for each student, Suzan creates a supportive environment in which students learn to harness their own abilities. In this environment, Suzan helps each student to become more confident, and to better understand the importance of education. Suzan notes, "I'm proud to be much more than a teacher; I am a mentor."
In addition to math, Suzan loves the outdoors and is an avid basketball fan. She has a knack for putting things together and fixing whatever is broken, literally and metaphorically.
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