Adam Seldow, MCMS

Facts:

Adam graduated from West Point with a degree in engineering management and a concentration in mechanical engineering. He served as an Army lieutenant before transitioning to the civilian world and certifying as a nuclear operations shift manager at the Department of Energy's Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Washington State. Adam moved to Boston to direct business development in an Internet startup, but realized the joy and rewards teaching would bring while working weekends with children at the Museum of Science's Camp-In program. " In the business world, my main goal was to make money for me and someone else. In the classroom, my main goal is to empower students to take the knowledge that they learn and use it to create their own successes in life. I want to teach because it is the best way I've found to mix my ambition and hunger for knowledge with the benefit of helping kids to develop their minds." Excited by the prospect of constant academic development, Adam became a high-school math teacher at a charter school and after one year entered TEP. " I believe that my energy, excitement, and mathematical background make me a prime candidate to fill the void in a Boston Public School's classroom." Adam currently teaches in the Boston Public Schools and operates a company for teachers: www.gradeweb.com.

Inside Scoop:

" The Harvard TEP is one of the few programs that mixes theory with practice throughout the entire year. I student teach from the first day of the summer program until my graduation and get ample opportunities to take what I learn in my own studies and test it in a safe, mentored environment."

" I have learned that it is more difficult to teach something than it is to learn it. When I learn something, I develop my own understanding. It normally doesn't matter that someone else can't understand my reasoning, but in teaching, I have to cater to many different learners and present the material in ways I never even considered."

" Harvard's TEP is one of the few programs that mixes theory with practice in every stage of the program. We start by learning and practicing teaching in the classroom and we continue learning and practicing our craft throughout the entire program. Most programs, in comparison, save the classroom internship for the spring semester. It helps to learn about the theories and issues in teaching and then immediately try them out in a high school with the guidance of an experienced mentor."