“I love learning communities, and I love the earnestness that children have naturally. They're very unencumbered in a lot of ways – they're honest, they're funny, they're smart, and they have a whole spectrum of different abilities, which makes them really unique and amazing to work with.” 
—Sorush Panahi

Mr. Panahi has worn multiple hats since joining the Dwight community, all informing his educational journey. Starting in 2011, he began as Dwight’s Lower School Coordinator, helping teachers with their day-to-day needs. During this time, Martha Hirschman, former Head of Lower School, noticed that Mr. Panahi not only had a flair for working with teachers, but with children, and encouraged him to apply to graduate school and become a teacher. 

Motivated and eager, Mr. Panahi enrolled in the Bank Street College of Education, and began teaching grade 1. Upon completing his degree, he taught grades 3 and 5 at Dwight for a total of ten years. Over that period of time, he never became stagnant, constantly evolving how he approached his teaching.

“He's really, really passionate,” said Associate Head of Lower School and PYP Coordinator Alexandra White. “He brings a lot of energy in his work with kids. He's constantly pushing to be innovative. He's always looking for new materials, new videos, new things to share with the kids, or ways to elevate and better the curriculum.”

His enthusiasm for learning is vast, even outside of the classroom, as shown by his wide-range of hobbies and interests. Mr. Panahi enjoys fitness and sports, live music, learning languages, and rock collecting. He listens to Middle Eastern music, Latin music, West African music, and speaks both Farsi and Spanish.

Mr. Panahi now brings that same enthusiasm to students and teachers. In his new role as Math Coordinator, he meets regularly with Lower School teachers, on average once a cycle, and checks in with their math scope and sequence, their pedagogy, the assessments that they give, and the activities that they plan. Teachers appreciate that he takes their vision into account, while adding his own flair. Abby Williams, grade 4 teacher (and former grade 5 co-teacher with Mr. Panahi) said, “He’s really good at making up fun and engaging lessons that are transdisciplinary.” 

In addition, he hosts and organizes informative sessions with Dwight parents so that they know how math is being taught and how teachers are following best practices when it comes to a more challenging unit. 

Although the guiding curriculum is Singapore Math, Mr. Panahi is open to a variety of teaching methods. His inspiration and mentor, Chris Beddows, Head of Dwight London, taught him to be open to all types of worthwhile educational models that benefit both the head and the heart of the child. He structures the program in a way that students are not relying on traditional workbooks, but approaching their problems through creative and interdisciplinary techniques. Mr. Panahi connects much of the math learning to the IB curriculum’s Units of Inquiry so that math feels relevant and interesting. 

Mr. Panahi takes time out of his day to meet with the students often. He visits math classrooms and leads sessions, guiding both the teachers and the students. Even in a subject as seemingly straightforward and impersonal as math, Mr. Panahi aims to get to know the students as people. He makes it his mission to understand their likes, their dislikes, their interests, their preferred socialization, what inspires them, and what challenges them. “He always makes things fun, he is funny and he’s really nice,” said student Bruno Z. ’34. 

Helena M. ’34 discussed how caring Mr. Panahi is, emphasizing that he "always gives people a chance.” She also said, “I like that he’s very encouraging… he does the right thing always, sometimes when two people are saying two different things he tries to make it even. He’s a very good teacher. He’s very kind and very knowledgeable and principled and balanced.” 

This personal approach allows for highly individualized guidance, so that each student feels heard and understood. If he observes that a student is losing focus, he asks them to stand while completing a worksheet. Or, if a student needs to vocalize their ideas and opinions about a word problem, he will work through their logic out-loud, patiently and step-by-step. Mr. Panahi mentors students through their educational journey so that they can reach their own goals. “It's a process that just never gets old, and is always so rewarding,” Mr. Panahi said. 

Mr. Panahi also contributes to the community by coaching dodgeball. Stephen Presti, Head of 94th Street, explains that he always goes the extra mile. “He'll go to the cafeteria and eat lunch with the kids. He genuinely enjoys being around [them]… That's what drives him,” Mr. Presti said. 

Mr. Panahi continues to grow as an educator, to be the best possible advisor to teachers, and best possible teacher for his students. Calling himself a “lifelong learner,” Mr. Panahi is currently a Doctoral Candidate in Educational Leadership at the University of Arizona. 

This drive to always learn more, coupled with the careful consideration that he gives each teacher and student at Dwight derives from his genuine love of school and education. Daily, he pushes that love of learning forward to teachers, families, and students who discover through his lectures that math can be fun, uncomplicated, and exciting.