This week, the Warrior Word interviewed HA's new staff member, Mr. McCrink. Get to know him as he shares his favorite hobbies, his thoughts on Hebrew Academy, and why he got into teaching.
Elizabeth Ebner: Where are you from?
Mr. McCrink: I’m from Miami.
EE: When did you begin teaching?
MM: 13 years ago.
EE: What got you interested in teaching?
MM: The opportunity to share what I love which ultimately is writing, particularly poetry, and literature in general.
EE: What schools or places have you taught at?
MM: I first taught at Our Lady of Lourdes Academy. Then I taught at Ransom Everglades, and now I’m here.
EE: What interested you about Hebrew Academy?
MM: There’s a spiritual component here that I think is very unique and very special, and that ultimately attracted to actually accepting the job.
EE: What are some of your hobbies?
MM: I’m a certified diver, I love the ocean, and I like jogging. I like food. You gotta eat.
EE: What’s your favorite type of weather?
MM: Cool, not too hot, not too cold.
Eliora Gdanski: How have you enjoyed Hebrew Academy and its students and faculty so far?
MM: Everyone has been really, really warm and welcoming. And it’s genuine, so I have felt like I’ve been here for a long time.
EG: What’s different about Hebrew Academy from the other schools that you’ve taught at in the past?
MM: Exactly what first attracted me. That idea of there being a very strong spirit of this pursuit of Judaic excellence, this pursuit of a spiritual understanding of self and G-d that I’ve never seen before anywhere else.
EG: What grades do you teach here?
MM: Ninth, eleventh, and twelfth.
EG: Have you only ever taught high school?
MM: I’ve also taught middle school and college level.
EG: What’s your favorite book?
MM: The Waves by Virginia Woolf.
EG: What’s your favorite place you’ve ever traveled to?
MM: Florence.
EG: What’s your dream place to travel to?
MM: I would say Asia, be it China, or Japan, or just a very different culture than I’m used to.
EG: Do you have family who’s also in education?
MM: Yes. My mother is a full professor and director of education at Barry University, and one of my sisters is an assistant principal at a public elementary school. We’re just a bunch of education nerds.
By: Elizabeth Ebner (9th grade) and Eliora Gdanski (9th grade)