TJ Burkett, 8th Grade Writing Mr. Burkett was born and raised in a small town outside of Madison, Wisconsin where he also attended college at the University of Wisconsin. While there, Mr. Burkett studied English Literature and was involved with several student organizations concerned with grassroots campaigning and social justice. Mr. Burkett spends his free time, what little there is of it, involving myself with various political groups and training for races. He has spent the two years teaching English in Washington Heights and is excited to return to DPCS for another year and share his love of reading and writing.
Aidin Carey, 6th Grade Writing
Jamie Davidson, 6th Grade Reading Born and raised in New York City, Jamie Davidson attended the Spence School and Barnard College. Jamie studied Literature and Education at Barnard; her undergraduate thesis work advanced a literature curriculum designed to enhance general well-being and happiness amongst adolescents. She believes in the power of reading and writing to shape the adolescent sense of self-worth and well-being, and holds that happiness in young adults can actually be quantified using various metrics. Jamie is a long-time believer in the charter school movement and is so thrilled to be working at Democracy Prep -- it doesn't seem like a staff can get any better than this!!
Ramona Mathis-Smith, Literacy Support Specialist Ms. Mathis-Smith has over 10 years teaching experience. She has worked with age groups from middle school to high school. She has taught a variety of subjects, including English, Social Studies and Drama. It is her mission to provide a quality education for urban children, while aiding in their academic, cultural and civic development. Ms. Mathis-Smith has a B.S. in Communication Arts from St. John's University and recently earned an MA in History from Lehman College.
Ty Moddelmog, 7th Grade Literature Mr. Moddelmog is a recent graduate of Dartmouth College, where he received a degree in Comparative Literature with an emphasis on French Literature and Art History. He hails from Atlanta, Georgia, and attended the Westminster Schools, though he spent his junior year of high school as an exchange student in Rennes, France. Prior to joining the DPCS team, he worked at a Manhattan-based management consultancy. He is thrilled to be back in the classroom teaching his favorite subject, reading.
Tanya Nunez, 7th Grade Chair, 7th Grade Reading Tanya Nunez is a native Californian, where she lived from the age of 4 until she went off to college in Williamstown, Massachussetts. After her four years at Williams, she became part of the third cohort of Teach for America and has been involved with education ever since. Tanya taught a total of six years in the Fordham section of the Bronx (teaching grades 1-5), and one year at her very own elementary school in California. While working in the Bronx, Tanya earned her MA at Teachers College, Colombia University where she majored in Sociology of Education and minored in Education Policy. She recently completed working 4 years at one of the highest performing charter schools in the city, Harlem Village Academy. There she served as a 6th grade Reading Teacher for two years, the Academic Dean for one year, a Spanish and 8th grade Reading Test Prep teacher for one year, and most recently, a 5th grade Reading teacher. She also served as a mentor-teacher for 3 years at HVA. Tanya has two beautiful children, Lilah, age 7, and Pedro, age 9 and is married to a wonderful New Yorker, Pedro De Leon, for 11 years now. She is extremely excited for the new year and looks forward to working with the students and their families at DP.
Kim Osagie, 9th Grade Reading Ms. Osagie recently joined the DREAM team after teaching middle school English, Social Studies, and Health for four years. After graduating from the University of Virginia, with a Distinguished Majors Diploma in English, Political and Social Thought, and French, Kimberly attended the Graduate School of Education at Pace University to receive her Master’s degree in Secondary English. Aside from these, Kimberly is a traveler, a linguist, and a closet singer/actress, enthusiastically aiming to foster a love of both learning and DREAMing in her Reading classroom.
Zeke Phillips, 9th Grade Writing A graduate of Amherst College, Zeke Phillips joined the DREAM Team after teaching ninth grade English for three years at BLA II, a small public high school in the Bronx. A Boston native, he received a master's degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education in 2006 before moving to New York. Zeke is thrilled to be part of the DPCS community and to be working with this year's ninth grade class, helping them further develop the skills and habits necessary for outstanding success in high school, college, and beyond.
Dennis Ryan, 6th Grade Reading Mr. Ryan may be new to Democracy Prep Charter School but he is not new to the wonderful world of teaching. Having taught in two middle schools in Washington Heights and a KIPP school in San Francisco, he has come back to the beautiful city where it all began. Originally Mr. Ryan was going down the path to become a lawyer, completing a year at Brooklyn Law School, but something pulled at him...a yearning to do more in this world than be another suit. And so began his journey as an English teacher and Social Studies teacher. This year, he will put both of those passions to good use teaching Non-Fiction to the graduating class of 2020!
Jeanine Shea, 7th Grade Writing Ms. Shea was raised in the Philadelphia area and received her B.S. in English Education from West Chester University of Pennsylvania. Since graduating, she has worked as a 6th, 7th and 8th grade English teacher encompassing all aspects of language arts from reading comprehension to analytical writing. Throughout her experience, she was critical in implementing research projects, developing a curriculum to obtain higher tests scores, and creating a cheerleading team for young women. Ms. Shea is excited to return to the DREAM team and continue teaching the fabulous scholars of the class of 2019.
Claudia Taylor, 8th Grade Literature Ms. Taylor is originally from Brooklyn, but attended high school in London, England. She earned her BA from New York University with a history major and was nominated by the head of the department for membership in the National History Honors Society, Phi Alpha Theta. Ms. Taylor earned her MA as a Teaching Fellow and spent her initial three years teaching at Brooklyn public schools. Ms. Taylor then took a two year hiatus, during which time she lived in Costa Rica, learned conversational Spanish, and owned and operated an import bookstore in a beach town on the Guanacaste peninsula. She returned to NYC to continue her teaching career and has since been teaching at a charter school in Harlem. Ms. Taylor is excited to return to the DREAM team!
Erin Weedon, 8th Grade Research Ms. Weedon graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a B.A. in English. While at Notre Dame, she was a member of the Notre Dame Chorale. She also studied abroad in Angers, France for a semester. Prior to joining DPCS, she worked for two years as a high school English teacher in Manhattan. She also enjoys running, and is currently training for the NYC Marathon.