Our Instructors >>Dan Bartz
Dan Bartz
How does one develop a penchant for sentence correction? There are really only two possibilities: one could either be a staunch perfectionist or the child of an an old-school English teacher. Dan happens to be both. He spent a countless number of his teenage nights endlessly editing essays and papers under his mother's strict tutelage until they were perfect, something Dan grew to appreciate years later in college.
Like most humans, however, Dan's brain has two hemispheres. After honing his linguistic skills in his early years, Dan spent his four years at the University of Michigan sharpening his quantitative and critical reasoning skills with a strict regimen of math and engineering classes.
Upon graduating from the University of Michigan with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, Dan joined a newly founded material science company in Ann Arbor that specialized in designing environmentally friendly materials made from agricultural waste products. Although Dan enjoyed his time in a lab coat and the unique challenges of working in the world of startups, he ultimately decided that he was not suited for the life of an R&D engineer.
Instead, Dan joined Teach For America in 2007 and started teaching 9th grade algebra at a public high school in Brooklyn . After completing his commitment with TFA, he joined Uncommon Charter High School in its founding year, where he guided students in embracing their inner math nerd. He was excited to be a part of a new organization once again, this time in pursuit of educational equity for the students the school serves.
As Dan continues to pursue his interest in teaching, he eventually plans to develop educational programs in his new home town, Chicago. He recently relocated to Chicago primarily to pursue entrepreneurial interests. Dan is also an avid outdoorsman, a novice foodie, and a tireless philosophizer.
