Teacher Profiles: Michael Crachiolo

Since becoming an eagle in 2018, Mr. Crachiolo has worn many hats: English 9, AP Lang, and IB Global Politics teacher; Link Crew advisor; and, affectionately, “Mr. C.” Less well known are his former role as the Grade 9 Head of Year and his previous teaching career at the international department of Huashi Fuzhong (华师附中) in Guangzhou. In this interview, Mr. C reflects on the decisions that have shaped his career in education, both at SAS and beyond. 

For the last three years, Mr. C has welcomed freshmen as Grade 9 Head of Year (HOY), a position he accepted after being asked by former HS principal Dr. Lee due to his involvement in planning the formative years of The Nine. As HOY, he primarily manages administrative tasks, such as organizing the annual The Nine trip and grade-level meetings. However, leading a grade level required trade-offs, including teaching fewer classes due to the position’s time commitment.

After three years of mentoring new high schoolers, Mr. C decided that he had gained all he could from the administrative role and chose to focus more on teaching. As he put it, “Now that I have more classes, I can focus on what I am interested in, which is actually just teaching.” 

Despite leaving his position as HOY, Mr. C has maintained his connection to the 9th grade cohort. This year, he returned to teaching English 9 for the first time in three years. “I definitely enjoy working with older students,” he said. “I think it works well with my personality. But younger students bring a different level of maturity and a lot of energy, which can be fun in small amounts.” Mr. C also enjoys teaching a wide range of grade levels, as it allows him to see students grow throughout their high school careers. 

Previously, at Huashi Fuzhong, Mr. C served in both teaching and administrative roles. As Head of the English department—a role comparable to a vice principal—he observed and evaluated other teachers. He cited the administrative nature of this role as a primary reason for transferring to SAS. In terms of the student body, however, he notes a similar academic culture at both schools, with students working with external consultants, traveling for competitions, and taking extra classes on weekends. Like at SAS, students in the international department at Huashi Fuzhong apply to schools outside of China and take AP courses. However, he stated that SAS offers more opportunities for clubs and after school activities. 

Mr. C observes that SAS is much more similar to Huashi Fuzhong than to the American public schools where he first taught. Specifically, he has observed a disparity between the relatively Westernized educational ideology promoted by the school and the traditional East Asian academic values emphasized by many SAS families. He believes this emphasis on academic success is a double-edged sword: on one hand, respect for teachers is ingrained, so he spends less time earning student appreciation; on the other hand, he worries about students’ busy schedules and rigorous workloads.

Regardless of which school, position, or grade-level he manages, Mr. C finds joy in fostering a passion for learning in his students and watching them grow.