After a 10 year tenure working at Harvard Westlake, English teacher and Ethics Bowl Advisor Charles Berezin will retire at the end of this school year.

Berezin plans on spending more time publishing essays on politics and culture on his website, writing a screenplay and spending time with his newborn grandson. While he is looking forward to devoting more time to family and writing, Berezin said that he will greatly miss teaching and the day-to-day contact with students.

“What really makes teaching so rewarding for me is the responsiveness of the students who really appreciate what you are giving them,” Berezin said.
In addition, Berezin said that he appreciates the support of his colleagues and the intellectual curiosity of his students.

Berezin’s English III Honors student Clay Skaggs ’20 said that he will miss Berezin’s intellect and wit and is grateful that he had the opportunity to have learned so much from him.

“Berezin will be missed greatly,” Skaggs said. “His sharp wit and his unrivaled sense of humor made class something to look forward to, and I am not ashamed to say that his intelligent and persuasive but never proselytizing perspective dragged me far left over the course of the year. I wish him the best in his retirement and am looking forward to reading his future essays.”

Berezin’s student Kate Konvitz ’20 said that she will miss Berezin’s ability to empathize and relate to all of his students.

“He always tries to connect with his students and see how events in their life are affecting them,” Konvitz said. “He always finds a way to brighten up everyone’s day with his jokes and personal anecdotes.”

Ethics Bowl Captain Ava Payman ’19 said she was impressed with his ability to add nuance to student discussions.

“Berezin would listen intently to a student’s stance on an issue and help to develop their argument through probing questions,” Payman said.