By: Tristen Rutman and Sebastian Lai

New English teacher Mr. Tlsty is currently teaching two 9th grade classes at our school. When Mr. Tlsty was younger, he loved watching the popular anime Naruto. He is also a big fan of the New York Knicks and the New York Jets.

Before Mr. Tlsty came to Briarcliff, he had only taught students in an all-remote format, and the last time he was teaching completely in-person was in March of 2020. Thus, he had never taught in a hybrid format before, and he’s just been trying to strike the balance between the two. As many Briarcliff students can attest, Mr. Tlsty finds that in-person students are more focused on the classwork, while those at home have a harder time participating. Mr. Tlsty notices students’ struggles and tries to ask questions to the “virtual crew” to make sure they are engaged. 

Mr. Tlsty thinks he has fit in well at Briarcliff so far and mentioned that all of the teachers and staff members have been very friendly to him. Other English teachers, such as Ms. Fernandez, Ms. Fishman, and Dr. Kenney, have been supportive and gone out of their way to make sure that Mr. Tlsty is feeling comfortable at Briarcliff. Despite the fact that Mr. Tlsty is fitting in well, he thinks it is a weird time to join mid-school year, especially when students have been taught by and are already used to a different teacher. This is the first time Mr. Tlsty has taught a class on his own, as he was a student-teacher at previous schools. Although Mr. Tlsty was elated to join Briarcliff, he wishes that he had more time to prepare before the school year began. However, he has been making it work and coming up with lesson plans throughout the year to keep his classes engaged in learning.

Mr. Tlsty is very excited for the rest of this school year and is looking forward to reading books such as Romeo and Juliet, 12 Angry Men, and Montana 1948 with his classes. Mr. Tlsty has experienced some  challenges in getting to know his students, but he hopes he will be able to get better acquainted with them. Mr. Tlsty also hopes that students at home will feel more comfortable participating in future class discussions. Overall, Mr. Tlsty has enjoyed a wonderful experience at Briarcliff and is looking forward to his future at our school.