At the end of every school year, the IHS community bids goodbye to a number of staff members, but also welcomes new ones. This year, the IHS community was lucky enough to welcome Margaux Deverin. Ms. Deverin is a new English teacher at IHS, who is currently teaching English 12 AP Literature, English 10 Core/Regents, and English 10 Honors. Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down with Ms. Deverin and learn more about her.
Meera Bai Singh: Before you came to IHS, where did you work?
Ms. Deverin: Right out of undergrad, I worked at Solvay High School in Syracuse for three years teaching 10th and 11th grade English, and directing drama productions. Then I made a change on a whim and moved to New York City to teach 7th grade writing in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. I found out that charter schools, as well as middle schoolers, were not my strong suit.
MS: Did you always want to be a teacher?
MD: Sort of! I’ve had phenomenal teachers most of my life and I wanted to emulate their style. When I went to Syracuse University for my undergrad, I actually started totally undecided. I thought I would be a music performance major because I was heavily involved in choir, orchestra, plays, and musicals in high school. I actually prepared some classical singing auditions for college, but changed my mind when I thought of teaching brass instruments as a music teacher (I am NOT a fan of brass instruments. Strings all the way. I play violin).
MS: Did you have any other motivations for becoming an English teacher?
MD: I’ve always been a good writer and an even better empath. I love to listen, to problem solve, and to help others, so I realized I could do both by teaching English. So many kids in high school need an adult to tell them it’s going to be ok. I wanted to be that adult if need be.
MS: Why do you think students should care more about English classes?
MD: I’m sensing there’s an implication that students don’t care about English class! (haha) Anyway, English class, if done correctly, teaches us how to be better humans. By emulating the positive traits of a character or learning from their mistakes—by learning just how many perspectives there are out there and how no two experiences are identical—by learning that writing is not a chore, but something that amplifies your personal agency—these things make us better. Additionally, literature, like drama and art, is inherently unsafe and messy. Literature is the thing that both jumbles and puts a mirror up to the society it was conceived in, and when it has longevity, it continues to put a mirror up to subsequent societies, and that is literature put to good use. I love that about English class.
MS: Lastly, if you could create a class to teach at IHS, what would it be?
MD: Improv! I do improv with the Syracuse Improv Collective in my spare time and I’d love to teach it to young people.