Cats, Crafts, and Maths: Ms. Tormo

Isabel Tormo is a new addition to the staff at Stuyvesant. She was a student teacher here at the school in September 2024 under the supervision of Woodworking teacher Leslie Bernstein. 

What subject do you teach? Why did you choose to teach it?

I teach Art Appreciation and Drafting & 3D Printing. I chose to teach them because I love showing my students that creating something and working with your hands can be such a helpful skill in so many ways. You can create something with your hands as a hobby to destress or challenge yourself, but you can also create things as a career or as a passion! Additionally, art and design are all around you, and all you need to do to see [them] is to do some studying in order to understand how those choices were made. Teaching Art Appreciation helps me to introduce these concepts to my students and to encourage them to experiment with some of these methods of artmaking. And teaching drafting combines my passion for creating with my passion for math!

What art skill or method are you a master of?

I love to try many art skills and methods, so I know at least a bit about a lot of different methods, but one skill that I’m pretty proud of is drawing from observation, usually with pencil or charcoal. I love to look closely at the world around me and study how to capture a three-dimensional space on a two-dimensional surface. I get super excited to think and talk about how mathematical concepts relate to how we make art. 

Why do you choose to go by your first name? What do you think it represents about the environment you are trying to set?

I started student teaching at Stuy in September 2024 under Ms. Bernstein’s supervision, and I introduced myself to those students by my first name because I was (and still am) learning what it meant to be a teacher or professional adult in the classroom. I have a few students from those classes that haven’t graduated yet, and although I am now a Teacher (with a capital T), I’m still okay with them calling me by my first name because that’s how they met me and referred to me for a year. I’m okay with students calling me Ms. Izzy if they are comfortable or would prefer to call me that. I did some work at an elementary school where the teachers go by their first names, and I thought that it was interesting to look at the dynamic between student and teacher; how might their dynamic differ from others based on the way they call each other? Right now, I don’t have a definite answer for that or an answer as to whether I’ll continue to go by my first name in the future, but I’m comfortable with trying this out and seeing how it works. I felt that when I was a student, calling my teachers by their first name (which really started in college) was a weird learning curve. It took a lot of getting used to, but [it] helped me to see them as normal people and a safe person that I could go to if I was having trouble understanding something or needing support or advice for a problem. I would like my students to know that I want to support them and help them find answers to their questions, whether that be answering a question for them or leading them to a source that can help them answer that question.

Do you have any funny anecdotes from your years in a classroom, either as a student or teacher?

I’ve had many funny moments in my classes already this year. One that pops out to me is when my students filled out a survey about themselves at the beginning of the year. Under the “Is there anything else you’d like me to know?” section, one student replied by sharing a cool song they found, but it was actually a Rickroll! I thought it was pretty funny.

Why did you choose to teach at Stuyvesant? Why do you like (or not like) to teach here?

I chose to teach at Stuyvesant because when I finished student teaching here as a graduate student, I did not want to leave! I love to teach here for various reasons, such as the school’s commitment to rigorous learning and the immense support I’ve received from my colleagues (thank you so much by the way). The main reason I enjoy teaching here is because I think Stuyvesant students are awesome! I’m blown away by my students’ skill, passion, ambition, and enthusiasm every day. I feel like the luckiest teacher in the world.

Can you tell us a little more about your younger years? Where did you grow up? What did you love to do as a child?

Growing up, I was frequently the new kid because I moved around to a lot of places across the country, such as Texas, California, Florida, Massachusetts, and Monroe, NY. My favorite thing to do was (and still is) to try things. When I was younger, I dabbled with soccer, basketball, volleyball, track, gymnastics, figure skating, taekwondo, swimming, scuba diving, hand sewing, machine sewing, knitting, crocheting, weaving, painting, drawing, sculpting, just so many different things! In high school, my main interests were math, art, and theater. Theater felt like my community, and I was actually the stage manager for my high school theater program. Although it was not nearly as big as STC, it felt huge and important at that point. I loved the responsibilities within my theater community, but it was challenging for me to figure out which one of these things I should pursue as a career. My eureka moment came after college when I realized that I could change my mind about my passions, and your interests can be separate from your passions. Since then, I’ve been dying to try more new things. Right now, I’m super interested in learning more about robotics, engineering, and STEM in art, and am always looking for suggestions on podcasts, videos, books, etc., about this!

Did you always want to be a teacher? If not, what did you want to be beforehand?

I have always imagined the possibility of becoming a teacher. When I was in elementary school, I pretended to teach my stuffed animals how to read and gave them assignments or grades [based] on their progress. When I was in high school, my friends told me that they thought I would become an art teacher, but I wasn’t always sure. At different points throughout high school, I wanted to become an engineer at M.I.T., a fine artist, a mathematician, an illustrator, a stage manager, but I decided to major in product design (happy medium of art and math) at Drexel University. During college, I worked at a costume collection (historical fashion museum), a puppet company, an interior design studio, and a daycare/preschool. After college, I worked in production for a company that made accessories and Halloween costumes, but I realized that I really missed working with people and creating.

Favorite food/restaurant? 

My order right now at Ferry’s is a ham and cheese sandwich with lettuce and mayo, along with chips and a drink. I also love a good carbohydrate, especially pasta.

If you could live within any art piece, which one would it be? Why? 

At this moment, I think I would want to live within some of the photographs of Ansel Adams. He was a photographer and environmentalist who lived from 1902 to 1984; he loved nature and took a lot of photos of national parks, especially Yosemite National Park, one of my favorite places in the world. His work in particular inspires me because it reminds me that nature is beautiful, but it’s also massive, dynamic, and wild. All my worries seem insignificant when I immerse myself in nature because I think about all of the processes occurring around me. These mountains and valleys have been growing and eroding for millions, if not billions, of years; redwood trees can live for over 2000 years. Nature doesn’t worry; it just keeps moving. I try to remember that when I’m worrying about something.

Do you have any pets?

I have twin black cats named Franklin and Simone!

If you are a book reader, which one is your favorite? Why? 

I love reading! Some of my favorite books are Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton, Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, and Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. I love all of these for different reasons, but one commonality of pretty much all of my favorite books is that the story made me feel strongly. It has to tug at my heart or my mind.

Goals for the near future? 

I aim to make sure my students are learning and feel comfortable and welcomed in my classroom!