In 1994, in the heart of co-op city stood a school with more than 3,000 students. Yet among those many students and the classrooms they visited, one teacher managed to reach us all. Her name was Mrs. Krutoy. Mrs. Krutoy was a teacher who created an oasis nestled on the third floor of an eight-floor monster; a monster that could eat you alive if you weren't lucky. In her classroom, you weren’t inspired to do 'your best,' you were inspired to 'be the best'. Simple analogies and opinion-based interpretation of literary works was not good enough. We were challenged to dig deeper; to make points that could stump the very authors we studied. Mrs. Krutoy was a master teacher and way ahead of her time. She challenged us and therefore I endeavor to do the same. I am now an Assistant Principal, in the very same school where I was first inspired. Even more interesting, my office stands mere doors away from Mrs. Krutoy’s old classroom.
-David Martin,
Former Student