Masha (Marianna) Freydlin MA, MSED, Ed.M is a NYC public school teacher who has spent over 16 years in ENL/ESL classrooms, working closely with immigrant communities and falling in love with teaching. She specializes in a human-centered approach to education for both students and teachers. Born in Moscow, Russia, Masha moved to the US with her family when she was 7. Growing up in Queens, one of the most diverse areas of New York City, she developed a deep appreciation of people’s unique identities, their cultural traditions and the extraordinary contributions of communities from around the globe. This lived experience and her own development as a third culture child, is at the core of Masha’s human-centered approach to teaching, mentoring and developing meaningful human connections.
With the onset of the pandemic, Masha sought to create a community for educators that was defined by optimism, provided support, encouragement and a solution based approach to re-imagining education, collaboration and mutual development. The Teachers Lounge, a Facebook group with over 1700 educators features segments like Conversations with Educators, Tea & Chat Sessions, Resource Highlights and events for educators by educators. As this community grew, it became clear that there was a deep need for new, aspiring and current teachers to have safe spaces to grow and develop their practice. And so, The New Teacher Mentoring Society was born. A service that connects educators to mentors and includes monthly workshops and a membership, The New Teacher Mentoring Society creates a space for more meaningful connections and collaborations and brings together educators from all over the world.