In November 2024, Charlotte Freccia undertook her first role as a teacher at Parker. She shadowed all classes taught by Upper School English teacher and English Department Chair Matt Laufer. These courses included all of Laufer’s World Literature sections, as well as his senior elective Literature and Madness. Freccia’s role as a long term substitute for Laufer continued through more than half of the Spring 2025 semester while Laufer took paternity leave. As the Spring 2026 semester begins, Freccia returns to Parker, this time as a long term substitute for Upper School English teacher Stacey Gibson who is participating in a semester-long Fulbright Teacher Exchange in Singapore.
Freccia’s career as an educator was not planned. Although, she has six years of experience as a high-school English teacher, including teaching part-time at Parker during the 2024-25 school year, prior to teaching her “only professional ambition was to become a famous writer. Freccia said. During the COVID pandemic, Freccia was asked if she would consider a teaching job. “I didn’t have much else going on, so I said yes. That was how I fell into teaching, and learned of my passion and skill for working with adolescents,” Freccia said.
Returning to Parker as a long term substitute, although for a different teacher, Freccia continues to be drawn to both Parker’s values and the broader English department curriculum. Freccia plans to maintain Gibson’s “pedagogical perspective,” with her primary goal being to “follow [Gibson’s] lead… [teaching] within the context that Ms. Gibson has already established in her learning space with her students,” Freccia said. Freccia also aims to recognize the mutual nature of teaching, where both the student and teacher can learn from each other, which Freccia views as “a really cool, challenging, invigorating way to do school.” Consistent with Parker’s mission statement to educate students to think and act with empathy, courage, and clarity, she wants her classrooms to provide a space where “adolescents pay relentless attention to the world around them and fearlessly ask critical questions about that world,” Freccia said.
While jumping into her new role with Gibson’s classes, Freccia also sees her time as a long term substitute for Laufer as the experience that drew her back to Parker. “I felt very supported as a teacher in that I was given lots of time, space, and trust to develop a curriculum that felt appropriate and invigorating for my students and aligned with my values as a teacher,” Freccia said. Parker students also made a positive first impression on Freccia that distinguished her experience from teaching at other schools. “I found the students to be wonderfully prepared, engaged, and empowered…[allowing] a level of depth and detail,” said Freccia, that differed from other high school classes. With this most recent return to Parker, Freccia continues to view Parker as an institution unlike others. “I can tell that it’s a special one,” Freccia said.
As the English teacher who Freccia previously shadowed, Laufer recognized Freccia’s teaching skills. “She managed [my classes] really well. It’s a very hard job to fill in for someone in a part time, interrupted way like she did. It’s a strength simply to pull that off, and she did more than that,” Laufer said.
Laufer described Freccia’s strengths as an English educator in her classes and in the English department generally. As a teacher, Freccia provides “a lovely combination of what I would call rigor, high expectations,…and an interest in making sure that the literature relates to the kids…and gets them to invest more fully,” Laufer said. As a member of the English department, Laufer views Freccia’s dedication as “contributing heavily to the English department in a genuine way.”
Although Laufer was on leave for part of Freccia’s first teaching assignment, the student community shared their positive perspectives with Laufer. “Last year, I heard great things [about Freccia],” Laufer said, “I particularly remember hearing from young women that they were excited to have a female teacher of her caliber.”
Freccia’s former students agree, sharing their experiences with Freccia as their teacher in World Literature. Junior Jade Labkon described,\ not only,\ Freccia’s professionalism and engagement when stepping into Laufer’s classes, but also her dedication as a teacher. “She was incredibly supportive, went out of her way to meet with me, and followed up with detailed emails with notes and suggestions,” Labkon said. Freccia’s impact on her students continued past her assignment as a long-term substitute. “She genuinely helped strengthen my work and I’m happy she’s back,” Labkon said.
