by JEANIE CHUA
CENTER & BACK EDITOR
and KAYLA GROHMAN
SECTION COORDINATOR
Not everyone can say that they’ve taught outside the United States, but newly arrived Upper School English teacher Drew Calvert has traveled back and forth between Southeast Asia and the U.S. over the past decade.
Calvert grew up in Singapore and stayed through high school, then came to America for college. He earned his bachelor’s degree in English from Bucknell University in Pennsylvania and his master’s degree in East Asian Studies from Stanford. Calvert has also lived in Malaysia and China.
Calvert’s passion for teaching emerged rather unexpectedly in Beijing when he was a journalist substituting for his friend’s university class. “It just felt good, and it was interesting,” he said. “I liked the students, and so I just kept doing it. I worked there for a couple of years. That was when I realized, oh, I actually enjoy teaching. Especially if it’s literature or writing.”
Before coming to Chadwick, Calvert taught college students in Chicago and Beijing and spent a year as a Fulbright Scholar in the Philippines, part of a cultural exchange program. He has also taught interdisciplinary humanities courses but has since transitioned to teaching English.
“I’ve always loved literature ever since I was in high school,” Calvert says. “I always think of the teachers I had in high school who introduced me to books and authors that I still read and still love.”
For the past six years, Calvert has taught at the Webb Schools in Claremont. Greg and Michelle Gerken, former Chadwick teachers who Calvert knew from his time at Webb, brought Chadwick to Calvert’s attention. He saw the opening and applied for the English teaching position.
So far, Calvert has been met with a warm, friendly welcome from fellow faculty and a sense of camaraderie among the students. “It makes teaching easier when students support each other,” he says.
Calvert believes that writing is not only an important skill to learn but also an important part of self-discovery. “Everyone has their own unique perspective on the world, and it’s just a matter of finding ways to express that,” he explains. “You write to find out what you know, or what you believe, or who you are. And that can make the writing process boring, but I think it’s an exciting opportunity to make discoveries.”
Outside of teaching, Calvert loves traveling to historic places to learn more about the past. “I’ve visited a lot of ancient caves. The Batu Caves [Selangor, Malaysia] are probably the most famous,” he says. “They’re pretty amazing. There are all these textured layers to the history of these places, and I enjoy learning about them.”
Although he just arrived at Chadwick, Calvert has already made a noticeable impact on his students. “Mr. Calvert is so delicate and profound in how he teaches,” says junior Lina Gu. “I enjoy his English class very much and can’t wait to learn more from him.”
Calvert brings his love of learning into the classroom, not only hoping to educate his students but to learn something, too. “I love hearing students’ perspectives, so my favorite classes are ones where I’m learning just as much as they are,” he says. “As long as I’m learning too, I’m really happy.”
The Mainsheet 