Mr. Conway is an English Teacher focusing on AP Language and Composition and 11th grade. Learn more about what makes him awesome below.
What's your job title? Teacher of English
When you were in high school, what did you want to do for a living? I wanted to be a novelist! Or a comic book artist.
What lead you to working in education? I spent seven years after college in a relatively soulless office job. My company went through layoffs in the economic downturn in 2007, 2008, and I really wanted to find a career that felt like I was doing something positive for the world. A buddy of mine had gone through the NYC Teaching Fellows and spoken highly of it. I made the cut, worked my tail off in that crash course they give you over the first summer, and held on for dear life when actually put in front of a classroom. Survived the first year, thrived the second, have been happy as a clam ever since.
What is your favorite food? Whatever I'm going to eat at my next meal. I love food.
What is your favorite color? I will cheat and say blue and gold.
What is your favorite thing to do outside of school? Read with my son and my cup of coffee.
What is your favorite song? Toss-up between Constructive Summer by the Hold Steady and Fake Plastic Trees by Radiohead, depending on my mood.
What is your favorite movie? The only answer is Casablanca.
What is something that always makes you smile? Steamed hams remixes on YouTube.
Who is your hero? Why? Cincinnatus, the Roman general elected dictator twice, who both times willingly gave up the title to retire and farm quietly. There is indescribable honor in achieving what was basically unlimited power, serving your duty to your people, and walking away from it.
What is the best piece of advice you've ever received? The guy who taught me in my first teaching class ended the course with, "You will fail every day. You will make a mistake every day in this job. But there will always be the chance to make it better the next day. You need to keep that in mind."
What are you passionate about? So many things, but let's go with the thing that I missed more than anything else during the pandemic - going to live concerts. Clubs of 100, arenas of 80,000, wherever. Love it.
Anything fun you'd like to share? I competed in the 1995 United States Sprint Canoe/Kayak National Championships. Basically, I paid the entrance fee. An Olympian almost swamped my kayak with his wake. It was wild.