By Daniel Rothberg

Physics teacher Karen Hutchison will swap posts with a physics teacher from Eton College in England next year through the Fulbright Teacher Exchange Program.

“It’s the first ever [teacher exchange at Harvard-Westlake],” Head of School Jeanne Huybrechts said. “It’s a great opportunity for both teachers, and it’s really a great opportunity for both schools.”

Founded in 1440, Eton is an all-boys independent boarding school that has earned a reputation for educating some of the world’s most notable historical figures, including Britain’s princes William and Harry, authors Aldous Huxley and George Orwell and poet Percy Shelley.

“Eton is like Harvard-Westlake,” Hutchison said. “It’s very challenging, it’s got a good reputation and the students all go on to university.”

Eton teacher Joe Dangerfield said in an email that he hopes to learn more about the college preparatory process in the United States while teaching physics at Harvard-Westlake.

“The modes of examination and methods of university preparation that exist within the United States, and how they compare with [those in] the United Kingdom, are areas of real professional interest to me,” he said. “U.S. universities are increasingly popular amongst boys leaving Eton College, and I hope to return much better equipped to support our students in this regard.”

Dangerfield said he is interested in learning different teaching approaches from Harvard-Westlake faculty. Dangerfield also said he expects that Harvard-Westlake students will be similar to those in Eton, but that the format of the school day will be very different.

“Not wearing white-tie to work for a year will make a refreshing change,” Dangerfield said. “Ms. Hutchison informs me that Hawaiian shirts are considered more appropriate, so I will need to do some shopping before I start.”