This week's Spotlight shines on
Glen Sherman, our Math Coach!
What is the best part of your day?
Nothing is more gratifying than when I’m working with a student or a teacher and they, or I, have an “aha” moment: something that didn’t make sense before it suddenly does. It’s like a picture that’s been blurry for a long time coming into focus (“Oh, that’s what that is!”). Another thing that keeps me charged up in my work is having kids show me a new way to think about something. I’ve been in education for sixteen years, and it still thrills me every time a student explains some unique way of thinking about a concept that I hadn’t ever considered before and never would have come up with myself.
What do you like to do after school?
After school, I’m usually here at Cport for a few more hours. What can I say – I love my job! But beyond that, like most parents, what I like to do once I get home and what I actually do are not always the same thing. I try to find time to listen to and play music, when I can. I play guitar (favorite style: early blues from the 1920s-40s), but in my dream life I would play jazz sax, a la John Coltrane and Ornette Coleman. My musical taste is all over the place: jazz, blues, soul, gospel, country, alt-whatever…pretty much anything that either moves me or makes me happy. Heavy rotation on my iPod right now are Alabama Shakes, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, and Neko Case. Duke Ellington said that there are only two kinds of music – good and bad. Who’s going to argue with Duke Ellington?
What is your favorite ice cream?
Do yourself a favor: go to JP Licks and order a banana ice cream with hot fudge topping. Nothing else: no whipped cream, mix-ins, or any other topping – they just hide the subtle taste of the banana. Banana and chocolate is some kind of celestial marriage. The banana is a seasonal flavor, so they don’t always have it. It’s worth the wait.
Favorite dishes?
I love to cook, but, even more, I love to eat things that people who are better cooks than me have made. Some local favorites: deep fried sage leaves and anchovies at La Morra (Brookline), fish tacos at El Pelon (the Fenway), the Allston Sunrise fried egg sandwich at the Refuge Café (Allston), fig bread pudding at Pomodoro (Brookline). Hall of fame honors to the lemon pudding with huckleberry sauce at the late, great, Rendezvous (Central Square).