Pomerantz retires in October after twenty-one years at Eastern
Ms. Pomerantz has been one of Eastern’s most impactful teachers, educating students on not just English but existence itself. Her advice and warm comforting presence has made her a teacher who students and staff of Eastern will never forget.
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Pomerantz teaching her Expression 4 AP Literature class
Have you ever had a teacher who influenced you both in and outside of the classroom? Someone who is so compassionate towards their students—caring about not just their academics but their mental health and the student as a person? For many Eastern students, this teacher is Ms. Pomerantz.
Pomerantz has been teaching at Eastern for twenty-one years. She taught at Rowan and Doane Academy before coming to Eastern to teach AP Literature and English 4 College Preparation. She is also the co-advisor of Poetry Out Loud with Ms. Steller.
Pomerantz met former Eastern superintendent Dr. Galasso at Rowan, and was “so struck by his warmth and mannerisms and sincerity” that she applied to teach at Eastern. Within a few years, her resume was accepted.
Pomerantz is retiring in October to spend time with her family. She plans to continue waking up around four in the morning, continue writing her next novel, have breakfast with her husband, do yoga, practice piano, read, garden, and travel.
Pomerantz’s favorite part about being a teacher is connecting with her students. She enjoys “Engaging with the students over something that I love, that I hope they love. Little bits of poetry, Literature. Stories, poems, anything.”
Anastasia Moreno, a senior in Pomerantz’s AP Literature class, said that “During some of the toughest times at home, Mrs. Pomerantz has been there for me. She made time to listen and to help me figure out how to not just survive, but to actually succeed in school. And all she ever wanted in return was for me to be safe and happy. I’ll forever be thankful for how she’s changed my life. I wish her all the happiness and success she deserves.” It is clear that Pomerantz’s legacy at Eastern will live on in her students long after she retires.
Pomerantz also mentioned the late former teacher that occupied room 412, Jim Garwood. “He would walk in and teachers would be grumbling about this and that and the other thing about teaching, and he would say, ‘you know what? It beats coal mining.’ So every time I think … I mean … it’s just I can think of no better profession.”
Pomerantz speaks of her favorite early memory at Eastern. “We were outside, and one of my students, Rocky, went over to Bruce, and there was pizza, and he said, ‘Hey, Bruce do you want some?’And he helped Bruce eat his pizza with everything else going on around him and things he could have been doing. That sort of representative act of kindness from one student to another, that’s one of my favorites.”
When asked to give advice to the Class of 2023 and Eastern alumni, Pomerantz responded, “I hate to quote Polonius because he was full of baloney-ous, but I would say this above all, to thine own self be true. Once you find that center in yourself and you’re true to it, then you are 100% available to yourself, and the universe will put you where you’re going to help the world and each other most.”
Pomerantz explained retiring from Eastern as understanding the meaning of ambivalence. “When I delivered my letter across the street to Mr. Cloutier, the superintendent, I just felt a sense of lightness because it’s what I need to be doing now. And there are lots of things like testing and the fact that we don’t have enough time to be with students because of our schedule and AI and cell phones and all that makes it easier to leave. But there have been times when I’m cleaning stuff off the walls or throwing away stuff for the last time or having a conversation with a student. It just really strikes me that this is the last time I’m going to be teaching this stuff. And it’s a loss because I love teaching. And the hardest part of all is that I just love my students and that’ll just be gone. There’s no replacing that.”
Ms. Pomerantz has been one of Eastern’s most impactful teachers, educating students on not just English but existence itself. Her advice and warm comforting presence has made her a teacher who students and staff of Eastern will never forget. “While it is sad to see her go, I’m honored to have been one of her students and I was able to learn from her. I hope she enjoys her retirement, because she most definitely deserves it,” says senior Mahawa Bangoura.
