Max Shafer-Landau

Social Science Mentor

About

I grew up in Wisconsin, the son of a philosophy professor and an interior designer. In college, I realized how much I loved to teach history and founded a history discussion club. This passion culminated in a master’s thesis on the methods and aims of history education.

Roles at Quest Forward Academy

I joined Quest Forward Academy in 2019 as a social science mentor. In addition to teaching Foundation and Exploration Phase social science classes, I teach a current affairs elective and sponsor the Aquarium and World War History clubs. The latter is a student-led initiative to continue an intersession I taught and encapsulates my passion for fostering student interest and bringing in a variety of media to teach the past.

Credentials

• BA History and Classical Civilizations, Wesleyan University
• MA European and Russian Studies, Yale University

Before Quest Forward Academy

• Taught history, economics, political science, and Spanish at an individualized high school in Connecticut
• Served as Director of Academic Services at a Test Prep Center
• Worked as a lead instructor at Yale Young Global Scholars, an academic summer camp
• Led hiking trips in Guatemala for several months through cloud forests, up volcanoes, and around alpine lakes