Mr. Smythe-Bryon teaches kindergarten at a traditional private school in the hills of Los Angeles. He holds a BA from Dartmouth and an MA from Princeton in medieval history. His favorite part of the job is making sure his classroom is neat and tidy. Mr. Smythe-Bryon has memorized every species of butterfly (about 20,000). He is a lepidopterist, like the famed writer, Vladimir Nabokov, his inspiration. He encourages his students to find narrow, deep interests that will be their gateway to the Ivy League.Poppy teaches at a progressive school on the Westside. After college, she found herself working at Starbucks. A regular customer, the head of the school, hired her away from Starbucks to teach 3rd grade. Sometimes, Poppy calls in sick and hangs out on Abbot Kinney in Venice, where parents join her to kick back. Poppy has a natural gift for teaching. The kids love her. So do the parents.
Christina Simon: Los Angeles, California, United States
I'm the mom of two kids who attended The Willows School in Culver City and Viewpoint School in Calabasas. My daughter is a graduate of Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism ('23) and my son is a sophomore at UPenn/Wharton ('26). I live in Coldwater Canyon with my husband, Barry, and our dogs. Contact me at csimon2007@gmail.com