Aline Linden, English Language Arts and Social Studies
BIO: Aline Linden grew up in a suburb of Boston, where she was a Jewish day school student from 1st through 12th grades. After studying in Jerusalem for a year, she earned her B.A at the University of Chicago, in Romance Languages and Literatures. During her junior year, she traveled abroad to study in Paris. After college, she made her way to New York to study at the Drisha Institute for Jewish Education in Manhattan. Before joining the Mazel faculty, Aline spent 18 years teaching both Jewish and general studies in 4th-8th grades, at Jewish day schools in Brooklyn and Manhattan. In 2015, she began studying part-time in a master’s program in Childhood Special Education at Hunter College, knowing that the skills that she would acquire would be helpful in any classroom. She completed her Master's in 2019, right before joining Mazel Day School. Aline loves bringing humor and creativity to the classroom and helping each child reach his or her full potential.
I became a teacher because... I wanted to share my curiosity and love of learning with others, because I love children, and because the teaching profession means constantly learning and trying new things. There is never a dull moment!
My vision for our children is... to grow into respectful, responsible, curious, creative, thoughtful, reflective Jewish adults, Americans, and citizens of the world.
I joined Mazel because... the school is infused with a wonderful blend of joyful Jewish life and learning and general academic studies and excellence. At Mazel, care and attention are paid to the whole child, to his or her academic growth, as well as emotional and spiritual well-being.
My favorite memory of being a student is... This is a tough one because it's so hard to choose! I think my favorite memory is of my 4th grade teacher reading aloud to the class at the end of every school day, for the last fifteen minutes before dismissal. She read us books that weren't the official ones in the curriculum, but other ones she chose, just for the pure pleasure of storytelling.
The most difficult part of teaching is... preparing for and responding to the different learning strengths, styles, and speeds of all the students in a class. This includes all steps of the instructional process: preparing, teaching, assessing student work and sharing feedback, evaluating the effectiveness of lessons, tweaking or redesigning lessons, and building on them for the next stage of learning.
My educational philosophy is... Encourage students to be curious, to ask questions, to think critically, and to do the hard work of finding well-researched answers or of forming one's own intelligent opinions.
I enjoy teaching the subject and grade that I do because... I love reading, writing, and social studies. They have always been among my favorite subjects in school (along with foreign languages). I love teaching middle school because it's an exciting and challenging time of personal growth for students. Helping students develop and strengthen positive relationships with peers and adults is an essential part of teaching these grades.
My best advice to parents is... take the time to really listen, but without pressuring children to talk when they're not ready to.
If I could teach my students only one thing it would be... how to set goals and persevere in reaching them.
If I would not have become a teacher I would have become... an FBI agent, a spy, or a mystery writer. I've always loved suspense stories...
A trick I use in the classroom is... using humor when tensions rise. It's amazing how a little gentle humor can redirect a tense situation!
Outside of school I like to... ride my bicycle around New York City, read novels, and get together with friends.