In 2021, Amy Dong (‘16) revisited campus where she delivered a copy of her award-winning memoir Twenty-One Years Young to her former English teacher. Inscribed was an acknowledgement thanking Rachel Weissenstein.
“I once heard good teachers are those who do two things: teach you about everything and change your life. If that is true, then you are one of the greatest teachers I have ever had,” Dong wrote.
This May, Wessenstein will finish her nineteenth year of teaching English at the School. Along with serving as the English Department Chair for almost ten years, she currently teaches sophomore English and her senior electives Memoir and Creative Writing. She started her teaching career at Lamar High School where she taught the Theory of Knowledge, an IB Program diploma course.
“One day, I pulled up the website of the school right across the street. They were looking for an English teacher, so I applied,” Weissenstein said. “That was 19 years ago.”
But Weissenstein does not consider her departure “retirement,” instead she refers to the next chapter of her life as “reinvention.”
“I hate the word ‘retirement,’” Weissenstein said. “I have chosen the word ‘reinvention’ because I want to do something completely different.”
This side of Weissnestein’s creativity and ambition can be found in her teaching style and personality.
“Even though the class taught a standard curricular class, it was a lesson in creativity throughout the year,” junior Drew Kalapatapu said.
Kalapatapu had her during his sophomore year where the curriculum studies Klara and the Sun, Frankenstein and Macbeth to name a few. But Weissenstein did not just teach the book, she interacted with the characters, the plot and most of all, her students.
“When we were learning Frankenstein, she had us sit in a circle like we were in a counsel, each of us playing a character,” junior Neve Meredith said. “We ended up using accents that were silly and goofy. That just made it really fun”
Meredith also remembers a time when their typical classroom was completely transformed with dark lights, candles and spooky music to embody the spirit of Macbeth.
As a book-loving individual throughout her life, Weissenstein took her love for writing and English everywhere. When she learned that the School did not have a Creative Writing class, she immediately proposed the class to the then department chair. Prior to her arrival, Creative Writing was not a course option as it was often seen as a way for students to choose an easier elective.
This class was formed through her passion for “serious writing.” Weissenstein took a very hands-on approach to this class, shaping the curriculum from the ground up.
“I feel really lucky to have grown that course and watched different people make it their own,” she said.
Initially, she envisioned the course where students would be exposed to three types of writing: poetry, short fiction and creative non-fiction. After this initial period, students would be able to decide which genre they wanted to further pursue.
Students also embark on a writer’s workshop, something most high schoolers do not have the opportunity to do. Constantly changing, the course also featured screenwriting in one of the editions of the course where Weissenstein invited her screenwriter nephew to teach a lesson.
“I hope that it’s a place for serious writers,” she said. “I hope that it’s a place at St. John’s for kids who, even if they don’t pursue writing as a career, can invest in their own creativity and their own writing gift.”
With Weissenstein’s departure, students mourn the loss of not just the course, but her customization to the course.
“I would give so much in this world just to be able to take Creative Writing again with you,” Dong wrote.
Even more important to her than being a good teacher, Weissenstein values being a friendly and kind spirit wherever she goes.
“She constantly brought her infectious spirit and engaging ideas to the classroom in order to encourage students to participate in the class,” Kalapatapu said.
As Jewish Affinity Group sponsor, an ISP sponsor and Department Chair, Weissenstein has involved herself with the school and its students over the years.
“I love my colleagues, the process of finding teachers to bring to St. John’s and helping them get acclimated is one of the things I am most proud of,” she said. “I have loved getting to mold the English Department and watching it grow and flourish.”
Teachers and students alike can see the dedication she puts into her work.
“I’ve had a lot of English teachers, but no one was so willing to meet with me than Ms. Weissenstein,” Merideth said. “It became super normal for me to just find her and talk about everything.”
The next chapter of her ‘reinvention’ will move closer to her 1-year-old grandson, but she will still try to stay connected with the St. John’s community.
“I don’t know what my next thing is, but I am very excited to figure it out,” she said.
