Amanda Farmer

 I was brought on to teach 6th grade English and Social Studies at the middle school level at Oakland School for the Arts in August of 2020. This was a big deal, because we were remote due to the pandemic, and these students were brand new to our school, to being in secondary education in general, and being confined to their living rooms receiving their education on Zoom. Kris was my mentor teacher and friend, collaborator and confidant for that incredibly difficult year, and the likewise challenging year that followed. 

Kris is incredibly organized, knowledgable, patient, and hilarious. Nothing is impossible if Kris wants it to happen--somehow the pieces all fall into place. We were able to do amazing things both with the students and our curriculum by working on it all year remotely, then bringing a new combination of tried and true curriculum and innovative ideas into the in-person classroom.

It was both an honor and a joy to get to work hand in hand with Kris for those two years at OSA. I would highly recommend her as a teacher of minor students and adults alike.