About Me: Jesse Masinter

I’ve always loved reading and discussion. I was one of the kids in my high school ELA classes who “talked too much” because I was so excited to share my ideas. I majored in Literary Studies at Middlebury College, then went on to get my Master’s of Education from Johns Hopkins before teaching for 6 years in the public school system as a middle school and high school ELA teacher.

I proudly created spaces where students debated meaningfully and made connections between stories and their life experiences. I developed project-based curriculum where students designed programs intended to solve problems in their neighborhoods. I founded the first LGBTQ+ clubs at three different schools, and I created an entrepreneurship club where students successfully marketed and sold products they had designed. 

Eventually, I realized that the structure of the school system was designed to create workers, not thinkers. I wondered what education could look like if we encouraged children to pursue their passions and developed their skills in an individualized, interdisciplinary way. I thought about the impact that the education system has had on all of us: children and adults alike. 

I founded Novel Exchanges with the belief that learning is a life-long process. Each discussion seminar is an opportunity to critically think, listen, and learn from the ideas and experiences of others. The curriculum I develop is intended to support adults and children alike with having meaningful conversation and using 21st century research skills to explore the world around us. As a tutor, I am delighted to have the opportunity to work with one child at a time and give them the time, attention, and energy necessary to support them as they grow as a learner.

Join Novel Exchanges and become part of a community of life-long learners seeking to break free of the constraints of the educational system!