Welcome New Colleague, Zack Kronstat!
We recently asked new colleagues to answer a few questions to help us get to know them. We kick off this series with Zack Kronstat, who just joined the BFS Community as a 7th Grade English Teacher. Read on to learn more about Zack.
Where did you grow up?
I grew up on the south shore of Long Island in a neighborhood famous for Lindsay Lohan and very good pizza and bagels. My family is from Sheepshead Bay Brooklyn–both parents and all my grandparents.
Where were you/what were you doing before you came to BFS?
I was teaching at the Dalton School.
Did you take up any new hobbies during the pandemic? What is your favorite quarantine activity?
Not necessarily new. I started skateboarding heavily again, which was my deepest passion in middle school.
Why did you choose BFS as your place of employment?
Easy choice! BFS was clear and explicit that to work here is to be passionate, be true to myself, make real change, and inspire the children to do the same. It’s a huge undertaking that I’m thrilled to be a part of. I went to a Quaker college, too, and that changed my life.
Is there a moment that stands out as the most memorable and impactful since you came to BFS?
Definitely! During orientation, students were answering the following question in partnership: What is a cause you are passionate about? The answers I heard as I circulated were each pieces of the puzzle of the world I want to live in.
If we were to interview a lower school version of you, how would you describe yourself? What were your earliest hobbies and dreams?
Chatty, inquisitive, and silly. I wanted to be a magician, though I didn’t get too far.
If we interviewed you again a year from now, what’s one thing you’d love to have accomplished here?
I’d like for my students to be able to apply their careful thinking, reading, and writing to a context outside of the English classroom. If my students can read the world like they read the word (Paulo Freire), I’m happy.
What is your favorite book from childhood?
Rockstar Superstar by Blake Nelson. It’s a middle grades book about a young musician. It got way less attention than I remember thinking it should have. I haven’t read it in years so don’t quote me on that. It could be awful!