EnglishMiles Cooper

I’m thrilled to be part of the McLean team as the grade 8 English teacher. I’ve been fascinated with all aspects of the English language since I fell in love with reading as a kid and I aim to share that passion with my students. It’s my goal as an educator to not only build excitement around writing and critical thinking in the classroom, but also to encourage my students to take ownership of their own unique ways of communicating, whether it be through an essay, an Op-Ed, or a conversation. As Walt Whitman knew, the power of language lies in the fact “”That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse.””

I was born in DC but grew up in Charlottesville, Virginia and had the privilege of going to college in my hometown – Go ‘Hoos! After earning a BA in English from University of Virginia, I moved to Atlanta where I worked in various content and account management roles in the management consulting industry for three years. My innate passion for teaching and literature brought me back to DC to attend graduate school. I received my MA in English from Georgetown University where I completed advanced coursework in Approaches to Teaching Writing and began my teaching career as an instructor with the Creative Writing Academy and as a writing tutor at the Writing Center. I’ve also had the opportunity to teach English as a second language to both children and adult English language learners. All of these experiences have helped me develop a student-centered pedagogy with an emphasis on writing as a continual, communal process. I love inspiring students to discover their unique voices through engaging, topical projects and collaborative experiences, and I look forward to continuously developing my course to best meet the needs of all McLean students.

Outside of the classroom, I love cooking, baking, gardening, going for bike rides, and discovering both old and new music — I was a DJ on WXTJ, University of Virginia’s student-run radio station, during all four years of undergrad.