Assistant Head for Teaching and Learning
John Sharon has joined us as Assistant Head for Teaching and Learning, a position that serves to assist the Head of School with academic initiatives and special projects; oversee supporting staff through professional development, recruiting, and retainment; and provide ongoing, direct support for head teachers. John is thrilled to be returning to North Carolina where he served at Trinity School of Durham and Chapel Hill for two years as director of school and two years as founding director of the upper school. In his career as a caring teacher and accomplished administrator, John has also served at independent schools in the Northeast and Washington, D.C.
As an educator with a life-long physical disability, whose parents were told to put him in an institution, John says that his philosophy of education and leadership is intricately intertwined with his life story. “I know that every student and teacher with whom I work has a story too,” he says. “They too have assumptions made about them, and they too know the pain of not belonging.”
He adds, “A good leader knows how to cultivate a sense of vulnerability and place and belonging for every member of a learning community, to move people from the margins to the very center of the page. That’s the kind of teacher and leader I aspire to be.” John’s commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion is reflected in his presentations at numerous schools and diversity conferences across the country about disability and equity in education.
John and his wife, Amy, are parents to two adult children who have “flown the nest.” A musician, John plays the harmonica and sings, and is looking forward to getting back to playing in an environment where bluegrass music is beloved. He earned a bachelor’s degree in government from Connecticut College, a diploma in Christian studies from Regent College Graduate School of Theology at the University of British Columbia, and an MEd (education administration) from the University of Massachusetts Lowell.
What are you most looking forward to in your new role?
While it’s hard to narrow that down, I’m the most excited that the full range of students at Carolina Friends is pre-K through grade 12, spanning the entire range of human development. I’m also really excited about joining a Quaker community. I’ve immersed myself in the Quaker world since I was offered this job and I’ve realized I’m probably more of a Quaker than I realized. Quaker values resonate with me so I’m excited to make the transition into a more holistic enterprise of education.
What do you love about being an educator?
I love working with students and seeing them have lightbulb moments when something clicks for them and they understand something that they haven’t before. I see my role at Carolina Friends as helping teachers become the best version of themselves, a role that will be mutually interdependent. Carolina Friends is a community that’s going to help me become the best version of myself and I’m excited about that.
What do you want members of our learning community to know about you?
I’m a human being first—more than an educator, administrator, or teacher. I care deeply about the notion of human flourishing, for both students and adults.
— Michele Lynn
Lower School Head Teacher
Jenni Scoggin is starting a new role as Lower School Head Teacher after serving as a classroom teacher in our Lower School for 12 years. Prior to joining us, Jenni worked in marketing before earning a master’s in early childhood education and teaching in public schools.
What are you most looking forward to in your new role?
I’m looking forward to being a part of and helping to facilitate the building and strengthening of relationships throughout the Lower School community. I remember gatherings on my interview day: with students in a circle on the carpet and with staff around the Lower School kitchen table. I was witness to the bonds that were built by creating this space. Over the past two years, the global pandemic has made this almost impossible. The possibility of gathering and connecting people brings me a lot of joy!
What is one of your favorite teaching moments?
I love to see students find themselves in stories or learn about other spaces and characters through stories. One of the most memorable examples is when my students were reading the book Ninth Ward by Jewell Parker Rhodes. It is a tale of a twelve-year-old girl living in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. Students thought about how access to common places and resources in a city are impacted by where a person lives. There was such rich discussion, and students planned their own cities, with the goal of making common places and resources accessible to all residents. I loved hearing them share their ideas about how to create equitable spaces for people. It gave me such hope and inspired me.
Middle School Head Teacher
David Chottiner joins us as Middle School Head Teacher from Old Trail School, in Bath, Ohio. In addition to proving himself as an innovative history and social studies educator, David has served as a middle school director and interim intermediate school director.
What are you most looking forward to in your new role?
I am most excited to get to know the students and staff of the Middle School community. In the few brief interactions that I had before I began in July, I recognized Carolina Friends School as a place where people could feel comfortable in their own skin and grow towards their potential. I am counting down the days until everyone returns!
What is one of your favorite teaching moments?
Last fall, due to a teacher’s illness, I found myself teaching sixth grade math for several weeks. As a former history teacher, I was lacking in actual content knowledge, so I poured over all kinds of resources I could find in order to develop lesson plans, assignments, and assessments. I decided I just needed to ensure that the students were not provided with incorrect methodology during their several weeks of less-than-ideal teaching—a tall task, indeed!
Those three daily sections of math were not only a fun-filled joy to teach, but also a reminder of what our students experience in a classroom each and every day. We were discovering the material together. I arrived with a sense of awe and wonder each day. In the end, it was a wonderful exercise in stepping into the shoes of our early adolescent students!