As a founding member of the Upper School faculty, Mark Hurwitz has spent the last 12 years teaching physics at Nueva. The end of the school year is approaching and with it, the end of his time at the school. In a conversation with The Nueva Current, he reflected on his time at the Upper School, and shared some thoughts on what’s next.
What have you been up to as the end of the year approaches?
I’ve been trying to seek out some of the other people that have been around for a long time and spend a little extra time with them. For example, next week, I’m going to go out with Jen Paull and Jen White, our founding English teacher.
What’s your most meaningful memory?
A: I have memories scattered over the years of students doing notable things. I love looking over the graduation lists of past years, scanning the names, and remembering. We’ve sent a bunch of really fun students out into the world, and hopefully we’ve helped make the world a little bit of a better place by doing so. As a rule, Nueva students are very capable. Most would do just fine anywhere. We hear different versions of this story from parents and others. But it’s also clear that some students really need a place like Nueva. Those are the ones that I think maybe are even more special and fun to have taught.
What was your favorite Nueva event?
In part because it had such unique challenges, the Peru trip in the opening year is one that I will never forget. The first night, one of the students discovered that they had forgotten a life-saving medication. The Head of the Upper School and others got in a taxi and drove around Lima at midnight, seeking out a 24-hour pharmacy. Later in the week, a student fell into an outhouse hole, sort of. One morning we had an early-morning bus ride, and the road was narrow with a drop of around 100 feet on one side. Our bus had to back down to make room for a truck, and the bus was just inching closer and closer to the edge. I was worried that the road would crumble under the weight of the wheels. Then a bunch of the kids saw how dangerous it was and surged toward the downhill windows to get the view, putting even more weight on that side. The Head of the Upper School and I were freaking out. Anyway, it felt like the entire trip was a series of near misses and misadventures. It was incredibly memorable.
What are your plans after Nueva?
I applied for a couple of teaching positions in Europe and one of them came through: I’ll be teaching physics and maybe astronomy at the American School of Milan. I’ll look for an apartment that’s somewhat central. But the school is in a more outlying area. I’m told by a friend who lives there that the only thing that area is known for is the school and a jail. I’ll have to make sure I get off at the right bus stop.
What have you been thinking about as you prepare to move on?
If I were retiring, I think I’d fear losing my identity. That is an issue that concerns a lot of people when they step down. Since I decided to do something kind of crazy and different next year, that’s taking up a lot of my mental energy. How am I going to teach? Where am I going to live? Is my Italian good enough to get by? But while looking forward, I am also looking back. I’m very proud of the school that Nueva has become. If I’ve helped build it in any small way, I feel really good.
