Nicolas Potkalitsky Middle School Years of Experience: 6 Years At HMS: 3 Nicolas has two Masters of Arts degrees, an M.A. in English from Cleveland State Univeristy, and an M.A. in Education (K-12 Licensure in Foreign Language) from John Carroll University, and an undergraduate degree in Latin and Greek Languages, with a minor in Medieval Studies, from Oberlin College. Nicolas brings 5 years of diverse teaching experience at both the High School and Middle School levels including Shaker City School District, St Ignatius High School (teaching internship), Vermilion City Schools and Newark City School District. As an educator, Nicolas is committed to pedagogy of inquiry (the Socratic method) rooted in significant conversations and meaningful writing engagements. Nicolas is also a student of Hasu Patel (Westlake) in Northern Indian Classical music and hopes to share this musical tradition along with the basics of digital musical recording with the children of HMS. “In every new generation of adolescents, human society is given a fresh articulation—a unique opportunity to remake itself. I consider it an honor and a privilege that as a teacher I have become a firsthand witness of this perennial renewal. As a guide at HMS Middle School, I dedicate myself to the honesty, integrity, and compassion I have already found so abundantly present in the students I have met from this program.” >> Back to list of faculty members