Meet our Instructors
Social Studies Instructors
Arlyn Sharpe :: asharpe@sileducation.com
instructor of Social Studies & English
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Ethan Halter :: ehalter@sileducation.com
Foreign Language Co-Department Chair
Instructor of English, Social Studies & Spanish Language
Ethan graduated from Oberlin College with a B.A. in Comparative Literature and Religion. There he studied Spanish Literature, American Literature, and Modern Western Religious Philosophy. After graduating, Ethan moved to California to become a Teaching Fellow. He received an Americorps award to teach high school English in Oakland, California. He concurrently received a California Teaching Credential in English from San Francisco State University.
In addition to teaching English, Social Studies, and Spanish, Ethan is central to our curriculum re-design efforts. Ethan’s passion for teaching is rooted in his overarching belief in the transformative power of literacy, of the ability to step outside of one’s hodiernal circle and peer back inward. He believes that it is the teacher’s job to--through Socratic dialogue--lead, sometimes push, students to take such cognitive leaps. Ethan loves uncovering big ideas through the exploration of history, philosophy and literature. He especially likes Bellow, Keats, Unamuno, Woolf, Joyce, Marquez, Faulkner, Emerson, Thoreau, Borges, and Kierkegaard.
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Michael Kahn :: mkahn@sileducation.com
Instructor of Social Studies & English
Michael Kahn instructs students in history, economics, government & English literature. Mike holds a B.A. in Political Science--with minors in History and Philosophy--from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. While in the nation's capital, Mike immersed himself in the D.C. political landscape, and worked for various campaigns and at a local talk radio station. He was the senior editor and a columnist for Independence Magazine, a highly regarded weekly GWU student publication.
After a decade in the legal profession, Mike made a move certain to shock the many teachers he'd once frustrated as a young student: he became a teacher himself. Mike's experience as an unfocused student--one who overcame his own limitations--underpins his compassionate approach to teaching.
“The first task for students--and their teachers--is to figure out how their minds work, and then to approach knowledge accordingly. Our one-to-one teaching offers a unique opportunity to engage students. I engage and challenge students however I can.”
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Tenisha Armstrong :: tarmstrong@sileducation.com
Instructor of Social Studies & English
Tenisha holds an M.A. in History from Stanford University and a B.A. from the University of California at Santa Cruz. Of the many courses that she teaches, Tenisha cites U.S. History as her favorite. Tenisha lends her knowledgeable voice to her favorite aspects of U.S. History: African American history and literature, the history of women in America, and U.S. social movements of the 20th century. Tenisha wrote our African American History course, which we are proud to offer as a social studies elective.
For ten years, Tenisha has edited the papers of Martin Luther King, Jr. at Stanford University's King Institute. As Associate Director of the Institute, she was the lead editor of The Papers of Martin Luther King, Jr., Vol. 5: Threshold of a New Decade, January 1959-1960 (2005) and The Martin Luther King, Jr. Encyclopedia (2008). She is currently editing Vol. 7 (1961-1962), which will be published in 2012.
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Will Juola :: wjuola@sileducation.com
Instructor of Social Studies, French Language, Latin Language & English
Born and raised in Minneapolis, Will graduated from St. Norbert College in Green Bay, Wisconsin, with a B.A. in French and a minor in History. He spent a year studying abroad in Lille, France--learning, traveling, and meeting extraordinary people.
As a peer tutor in college, Will discovered his desire to teach. His passion for teaching spans three disciplines: social studies, foreign languages (French and Latin), and English Literature.
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