Gavin Schiffres

My name is Mr. Schiffres (pronounced shif-res) or Mr. S (if you prefer your words sibilant). I graduated magna cum laude from Yale University with distinction in Ethics, Politics, and Economics and a minor in Education Studies. Now I'm pursuing my Master's in Education from UMSL.

At Jennings, I teach "the best that has been thought and said" in the American and Western canons. My pupils feast on the fruits of civilization, imbibing the rhetoric, grammar, and lexicon extracted therefrom.

True to the liberal arts tradition, our work in room E227 aims at that rare "discipline and furniture of the mind" requisite for a free citizenry. Yes, we froth in the beauty and power of words, but above all, we pay homage to the linguistic faculty of reason. Students must begin to bear the awesome human mantle of thinking for themselves.

Outside of school, I run, swing dance, and read (mostly philosophy). Like my students, I try to live deliberately, and each time I fail, fail better. Previously, I worked at the Louisiana Department of Education, lobbied with StudentsFirst (a national education reform non-profit), and taught in New Haven. Before St. Louis, I lived in New York City. Between us, though, I like it here better.