Robert Bruckner joined the Fieldston Upper School Mathematics Department this Fall, coming all the way from Boston, Massachusetts. As a 23-year veteran of teaching mathematics to high school students, he has been to a few other institutions over the last 20 years in Boston, prior to joining the Fieldston family. Mr. Bruckner is coming off a three-year experience preparing rising 9th graders of all different backgrounds to get scholarships to elite private schools. In this endeavor, Mr. Bruckner reflects the commitment to service that the Fieldston community counts as one of the pillars of the school.
In order to be closer to his two children (ages 8 and 12), Mr. Bruckner took this opportunity to teach in Riverdale, NY. Not to minimize his passion for teaching, he still recognizes the time he is able to spend with his children as one of the most rewarding parts of his day. The transition to Fieldston has been seamless for the former Bostonian to New Yorker life. He was struck right away at the impressive support, through many channels like the testing center and the learning center, that the high school students at Fieldston enjoy. He feels that his students have a good idea of his expectations from them, and enjoys the opportunity to be an advisor to a group of incoming Form III students. Although he did have some hesitation about becoming an advisor since he is also new to Fieldston, he feels like it is a great opportunity to connect with students and their families as they are also navigating Fieldston High School for the first time.
Mr. Bruckner was first drawn to mathematics as a kid because he always felt it came naturally to him. In college, he majored in Economics which has a significant amount of mathematics in the subject. “In terms of teaching, what drew me to math is that I like problem-solving,” says Mr. Bruckner. He enjoys the exact nature of mathematics, and that there are clearly right and wrong answers in the subject. As far as his teaching philosophy, he believes that engaging students in order to get them interested in the subject happens with good class discussion. He likes to lead by example and believes that his own hard work will hopefully inspire his students to apply themselves.
It’s not all geometry and statistics for this math teacher, however, who embraces his athletic side. Mr. Bruckner is an avid skier and golfer. He loves to play tennis and softball with friends whenever given the opportunity. In addition, he is excited to start work on the course, Statistics, at Fieldston – a course which he has never taught before. He is learning how Statistics has been taught in the past, and how he can adjust moving forward. He believes, like his students, he is learning something new every day. “I hope that I support my students’ interests, academic goals, as well as personal goals,” Mr. Bruckner answers. When asked about his overall personal goals for his future accomplishments at Fieldston. One thing is for sure, Mr. Bruckner is a welcomed addition to the Fieldston community!
