According to Bellows Free Academy English teacher, Larissa Hebert, this year, Bellows Free Academy has seen an influx of new teachers and staff. Among these new faculty members is Wendy Finn, a new teacher in the English Department. 

Finn teaches ninth grade Reading and Writing Workshop, as well as tenth grade American Literature.  According to Finn, the beginning of the school year hasn’t been too stressful yet.

“It’s been going pretty well,” Finn said. “I’m trying not to psych myself out too much and [am] trying to put in the bulk of my work now so I can dive into the more complex stuff later.”

Finn is joining us from St. Michael’s College, where she has worked towards her Master’s Degree in Teaching Middle and Secondary English for the past year. In addition to that, Finn said she previously acted as a student teacher at the Shelburne Community School and worked part-time.

Outside of teaching, Finn lives in Burlington with her partner and two cats. She also has immediate family scattered around Vermont and New York.

Finn noted that she was particularly happy to get the position at BFA because of the location, and that she was enjoying BFA so far because of the community and environment.

“Everyone has been very accommodating,  and it’s a great environment so far,” Finn said. “I also really love this building because it reminds me of [my own] high school.”

When asked how she sees her job responsibilities developing over the next few months, Finn said she is most looking forward to exploring classic literature with her students, now that the basic housekeeping (going over the syllabus, attendance policies, etc.) is out of the way. Finn also noted that sharing books is one of her favorite parts of the job.

“I read so many books, so many times, [just] because it’s my job,” Finn said. “But it’s always really exciting to hear new perspectives and opinions on those same books from students.”

When asked for any additional information she would like to share, Finn expressed her plans for an afterschool club in the near future.

“I’ll be starting up a film club at school soon,” Finn said. “So, keep an eye out for that.”