Meet Ms. Prince, a new Literature teacher for the 2024-25 Montrose school year and hopefully beyond. Already, Ms. Prince is known to brighten up everyone’s day – no matter the circumstances! Loved by her students, one seventh grader says: “Every time I see her, I get happy, even when I am not having a great day.” Follow along to find out why students love Ms. Prince so much and cherish Literature class!
You may be reading your schedule for the day and suddenly your lips curl into a smile. Your next class is Literature! With your eyes shining, you grab your book and notebook and head off to class. You walk into the classroom to see the familiar site of a Starbucks cup, a trademark of Ms. Prince and something relatable that makes you feel a little more comfortable. There are also classmates ready to begin their lesson and books waiting to be opened. You look forward to getting your thoughts out with a reflective journal entry, or a way to let your opinion be heard in a socratic seminar. Or, you’ll dive deep into a book and learn what makes it so good in a class discussion.
All these components make up the interesting and fascinating experience of Ms. Prince’s Literature class. Ms. Prince is able to create a distinct environment for each of her classes, depending on whether she teaches her sixth or seventh grade Literature class. She is able to form a class where students feel welcome and encouraged to participate and share their voices in class. One student commented on how “Ms. Prince is an amazing teacher who always makes me feel comfortable and safe in class.” Yet another student mentioned: “I feel so comfortable to raise my hand, and she makes everyone feel welcome!” These are just small aspects of what makes Ms. Prince the amazing teacher that she is.
Other than spending a few years in Seattle, Ms. Prince has been a Massachusetts resident her whole life. She moved from Boston, to Newton, to Holliston, where she lives currently. She has also traveled, however, to Central and South America, Italy, England, Scotland and Spain to name a few. She is able to incorporate her experiences from these places into her favorite part of teaching, which is getting to know the students. She understands that everyone is unique and comes from different backgrounds. She is sympathetic and understanding but also challenges students. Ms. Prince pushes everyone to more thoroughly dissect a book and try to find the deep meaning that we can use in our everyday lives.
Not only did Ms. Prince travel, but she also focused on training physically and mentally. In high school, she was a soccer player, and she was an avid dancer. She continued dancing throughout high school, and even up until college, at Smith University in Northampton, Massachusetts. Her favorite subjects were art, science and, of course, English. Ms. Prince reflects on a particular art teacher that was formative to her, “[my art teacher] was so encouraging of me!” Ms. Prince radiates her teacher’s encouragement to her students as well.
So, her background, her interests, and her students’ thoughts are covered, but what has not been mentioned is what inspired Ms. Prince to become the fantastic teacher she is today. She says that teaching runs in her family. “My mom, aunt and grandfather were all teachers,” she tells us. She loved “reading, kids and talking about books,” and found teaching as a way that she could do both. As anyone in her classes can see, she clearly does a lot of all three of these: from the aforementioned Socratic Seminars, to captivating class discussions, and just taking time to get to know each student. She listens to class periods worth of stories and takes time after class to chat. Ms. Prince also adds that her relationship with her three daughters has greatly impacted her teaching. “I’m a way better teacher now that I have kids. It’s made me more patient and understanding of kids in general and what’s important to kids,” she remarks. “Being a mother has made me who I am.”
To close, we share with you a small but impactful piece of advice Ms. Prince has for the Montrose community. Her words reflect not only who she is as a teacher, but who she is as a person: someone reliable and kind that you can always turn to for help. She reminds us: “Love yourself. Your opinion of yourself is most important. Never let anyone else’s opinion of you hold you back!”
By Ananya Dandekar ‘30, Contributing Writer, & Eloisa Pap ‘30, Clubs and Classes Editor
30adandekar@montroseschool.org & 30epap@montroseschool.org
