Patrick Burbine Email & Phone Number

Boston, Massachusetts, United States

I teach amazing 6th and 7th graders, and I am part of an amazing team.

Seoul, South Korea

The teachers at PEAI pushed me to a different level. As head teacher of fifth grade and a senior member of faculty, it was my responsibility to help others elevate themselves. The expectation we set for each other was for lessons to be no less than excellent, always. And when that expectation was not met, we remained vigilant in our commitment to great teaching.Upon joining PEAI, I was able to see tried and true curriculum with fresh eyes. In my first year, I implemented improvements to the literature and debate sections of the curriculum. In my second year, I continued to iterate within literature and debate while also modernizing our writing program. Such improvements continue to this day and are driven by the question, "How can this be more about the students?"

Yangcheon-Gu, Seoul, Korea

Paedea is where I began teaching all lessons with a constructivist approach. My peers and I would present students with hands-on activities and then ask students to explore what happened through discussion, research, and writing.I worked closely with the founder and executive director, and within three months, I was asked to lead a team of ten faculty. As my first management job, it took me some time to get my feet under me, but I soon embraced a management style that sought the best in each teacher and elevated unique strengths.

Seoul, Korea

After a few years of non-profit work, teaching at Chungdahm Learning allowed me to get down into the weeds. It was honestly shocking how difficult teaching was at first. I knew it would be difficult, but I had these notions that I would live out some kind of movie script, and things would turn around by the second act. Life being more complex than that, teaching became somewhat easier, but only gradually.Something else that shocked me was how much I would love teaching. I thought it would be enjoyable, but teaching effective classes (especially after a string of poorly run ones) was absolutely thrilling. Being face to face with students, building connections, and seeing real, noticeable change on a daily basis would propel me down the path to where I am today.