“I was lucky enough to have Ms. Stokol as an English teacher my freshman year of high school. While many other students in my grade were introduced to a basic 9th grade curriculum that year, Ms. Stokol saw each class as an opportunity to challenge every single one of her students and pushed us to make discoveries about ourselves as people as well as the text we explored, whether it be through reading, imaginative and ever-changing exercises, or exciting and lively discussions.

Eight years later, I still clearly remember some of the assignments we turned in and the various debates that my class took part in regarding wide-ranging themes and genres we explored.

What’s even more impressive about Ms. Stokol is that she understands how to individually connect with each one of her students in a way that makes them feel comfortable enough to be open and vulnerable in her classroom, while also driving them to want to work as hard as they can to get the most out of the material that she delivers.

I have had very few teachers — even now at the college level — who understand how to form these kinds of relationships, and I believe it speaks a huge amount to how much she understands how to bring out the best in every single individual she teaches.

She will be missed in the classroom, but I know that she has a huge amount of knowledge, patience, and kindness to offer any students who has the opportunity to work with her!

— Lucy, Princeton graduate

“I loved having Ms. Stokol as my teacher. Her class had a curriculum unlike any other I took in high school. It pushed me to become a stronger writer and thinker.”

— Miles, Reed graduate

“Ms. Stokol was an incredible teacher who fostered a supportive, engaging, and safe environment for us to grow as writers.

I learned so much about different styles of writing, and she pushed us in a way that encouraged growth while emphasizing our strengths in the classroom. I also loved how discussion and sharing-based our class was -- she knows how important it is to learn from each other and did a great job helping that happen.

Overall, she is such a kind, intuitive, and gifted soul and teacher, and I could not say enough good things about my experience in her class!”

— Christina, UC Berkeley graduate

“Ms. Stokol is an amazing teacher because she fosters growth and individual thinking. I loved having her as a teacher because I felt safe and supported to develop thoughts and ideas. Her guidance was pivotal for me as a young writer and student. I recommend any opportunity to work with Ms. Stokol. She is an incredible teacher and person.”

— Elizabeth, Emory graduate

“I spent my first high school English class under Ms. Stokol’s guidance. Around a massive table, she invited me and my classmates to work through Homer’s Odyssey. I struggled greatly, and at first couldn’t effectively communicate my fascination with Telemachus’ coming of age or Penelope’s rigor. I was disheartened by my lack of growth and the seemingly infinite bounds my classmates made, but Ms. Stokol was as steady as anyone.

She invited me to review some critiques after class and even taught me how to annotate efficiently. In a sense, she retaught me how to read, and more importantly, she taught me how to think. As the days go by I am ever more grateful for her attention to detail and insistence on getting the basics down.

In retrospect I appreciate both the subtle and overt steps Ms. Stokol took to make me feel welcome in her class. Beyond inclusiveness, getting people to openly express themselves and grow is difficult; in a competitive academic [environment] this could be impossible.

However, Ms. Stokol’s use of conversation, rather than lecture, and required class share-outs made it both practical and efficient to take steps towards greater reading comprehension.

I came to [my school] thinking I knew how to write and read. First day in class I struggled mightily and would come up short. I stumbled again, and again, and again in her class. What felt like an impossible obstacle, relearning how to read, became a reasonable goal under her instruction: annotate a line at a time, then a section at a time, then a page at a time, then a chapter. She helped me crawl, so that I could stand, and eventually walk. Now, I find myself running through peer-reviewed scientific literature with ease (primary sources at the apex of reading comprehension and scientific application). I am able to reach this height because I was given the opportunity to stand on the shoulders of a giant, my giant, Ms. Stokol.

— Joseph, Georgetown graduate