New English teacher Cara Reese joined the Westminster faculty this fall, leading with her creativity, love for teaching, and intuitive teaching approaches. However, many people may not know about her life as a published author.

Along with teaching English, Reese maintains an active career with projects including publishing books, art installations, and literary interviews. “I would say my identity . . . is as both a teacher and a writer,” she says. “I write children’s books, and I currently have a show that’s coming up in New York, where one of my books has been made into an art installation . . .  I have an interview that was just published in a magazine that does literary reviews.”

Reese has published books such as Black Artists Rock! The Cool Kids’ Guide A-Z and Dr. King Goes to India! A Cool Kids’ Guide.

Reese has been teaching for over 20 years and currently teaches 6th and 7th grade. She particularly enjoys teaching writing to her students, having had a passion for the subject since childhood. “It’s been my passion since I was a kid. I really loved reading. I would skip gym to read books. I was the kid who [was] in the library for hours,” she says.

Before Westminster, Reese taught humanities at Lovett and Atlanta Girls School. Her teaching experience spans across almost all grade levels. She has taught every grade except kindergarten, bringing a diverse classroom experience to Westminster.

Reese describes her first months at Westminster as energizing. “It’s been really positive. I’m very inspired by the students. [They are] really brilliant, interesting kids. It’s really fun to get to teach in the way that . . .  feels organic for me, and then it’s exciting to be around a lot of professionals who are . . .  doing interesting things even outside of . . .  campus.”

Reese was drawn to the School’s creative and supportive community. In fact, she was already familiar with the community through her husband, Michael Reese, who works here as a photography teacher in the Upper School.

Reese describes herself as a constructivist and focuses on making learning engaging for students. “I want to make sure they’re learning and making the meaning of what they’re being taught. So I love . . .  seeing students . . .  be creative, [in] their thinking, but also creative in how they’re showing their learning.”