Some teachers at Parker have been around so long they’ve taught generations of families, while others come to Parker and decide within that year it’s not for them. Parker has had six different Heads of Upper School in the past ten years and in most of those instances, the school chose to hire candidates from outside of the Parker community.
However, this year, the administration took a different approach and decided to fill the position internally. Former Upper School English teacher Cory Zeller was selected to take on the position of Head of Upper School.
Zeller started teaching at Parker in 2012 as a paternity substitute teacher for Upper School English teacher Matt Laufer. Previously, Zeller had been a teacher at Latin School of Chicago from 2007-2010 and then took some time off to be with her young children. When she decided she wanted to return to work, she wanted to ease into it.
“I wasn’t ready to go back full time because I had two young kids. So I was looking for part time,” Zeller recalls. The next year she was asked to come back as a full time Upper School English teacher, having a smooth transition as she was already assimilated into the Parker environment. Zeller then held that position from 2013-2023.
When the time came for Zeller to transition into her new role as Head of Upper School, she was ecstatic. Since she was an inside candidate for the position, she was already familiar with the community at Parker and how things work. Zeller remembers beginning to get involved with the Head of Upper School duties back in May. “I started being brought in on meetings that were going to involve decisions that would affect this school year. And what was nice about that is it gave me a chance without being the Upper School Head to learn about the position and some of the facets of the position.”
When August came around and students started to return to campus, Zeller said that her gradual transition immensely helped with the preparation for the new school year and helped her from feeling overwhelmed. “I felt like I had six weeks of just preparing for the school year and really thinking about what I wanted to do. I’d been introduced in the spring and then over the summer, got to do a lot of planning and organization and then really kicked things off mid-August for bridge.”
This year, Upper School English teacher Lang Kanai joined the Parker community in a similar way that Zeller did ten years prior. “I was here last year subbing for Ms. Gibson, so it’s been a really easy transition because I feel like I already know the school very well,” he said.
Kanai, like Zeller, also worked at Latin before moving further north down Clark Street. He says his transition has been seamless because of his slow start last year. Kanai likes the way students at Parker are so interested in the school work and how they’re very authentic and passionate. This is something that he hasn’t seen in schools he’s worked at previously. Kanai echoes Zeller’s reasons for the benefits of working at Parker, such as freedom to design your own curriculum and the ability to teach fun electives.
Many people enjoy having teachers who’ve worked at Parker for a long time because they know the school well and are involved in the community. Sophomore Dallyce Harrell, however, loves having new teachers believing they serve not only to diversify her knowledge, but also to keep things interesting in the classroom.
“I think they offer lots of new perspectives and learning styles,” she said.
