The Doctor is In - Mr. Kurzweil’s “New Math”

By Sophia Khodorkovsky ‘23
New teacher Daniel Kurzweil, known as Dr. Dan to his junior students, has made quite a splash after only six months at Golda Och Academy.

The first year at any job can be intimidating, and trying to win over teenagers when teaching math can be even more daunting. 
Mr. Kurzweil acquired his nickname from a mistitled ID badge declaring him a “doctor.” 
He is an alumni of The City University of New York, where he works when not teaching GOA students. 
In his free time, Mr. Kurzweil enjoys, “hiking, backpacking, rock climbing and snowshoeing.” In accordance with his outdoor hobbies, he “disappears” into the woods for one month every summer without any electricity or internet. 
In describing one of his recent endeavors, Mr. Kurzweil said, “In recent memory, I drove cross-country from California to New York at the start of the pandemic.”
On the side, Mr. Kurzweil spends time hunting down the expensive Korean chalk he uses on the blackboard. Be careful not to break the chalk in Mr. Kurzweil’s class!
Mr. Kurzweil’s jovial response to shattered chalk is to send a student to his office to get a new piece, “and then they are barred from using it for a period of no less than four weeks,” he said. 
Junior Sam Zaslow-Braverman says, “Mr. Kurzweil don’t like his chalk expensive as the day is long.” 
In addition to appreciating finely-priced chalk, Mr. Kurzweil spends time searching for the best math puns, with his current favorite being, “Tell math to stop asking us to find its X; it’s not coming back, and don’t ask us Y.”
Mr. Kurzweil describes when he first decided to become a teacher after high school saying, “During college, I realized I enjoyed imparting my knowledge on the younger generation.” 
He has carried out this love of teaching for the last ten years, although this is his first high school teaching position. 
Mr. Kurzweil explains why he chose GOA, “After talking to the staff and reading about the school on their website, I felt that our values aligned and it would be a fun partnership.” 
Mr. Kurzweil teaches a ninth-grade geometry class, tenth-grade algebra 2, 11th-grade pre-calculus and taught 12th-grade advanced calculus. 
When asked about the good doctor, Zaslow-Braverman states, “Although Mr. Kurzweil has been at GOA for less than a year, he has already established himself as a brilliant math teacher and a kind person.” 
Fellow junior Sabrina Smokler does not love math class, but says, “I look forward to Mr. Kurzweil’s class every time I have it.” Smokler adds, “Before every test, I always write myself affirmations on the blackboard, and with Mr. Kurzweil’s spiritual powers I am able to get a good grade.” 
In Mr. Kurzweil’s few months since arriving at Golda Och Academy, the community has made a wonderful impression on him. 
He said, “It’s great here! I like how everybody is so welcoming and willing to help out.”
If you ever have the inclination to converse with an interesting character, find Mr. Kurzweil every Friday in the Beit Knesset wearing a math pun shirt. 
Mr. Kurzweil’s word of advice to students: “Fractions are your friends.”