Alumni News

Alli Poirot '02 MAT '03: An Educator with International Scope

Alli Poirot '02 MAT '03 is in her 21st year as an educator and is currently teaching International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme (DP) History at Dwight School in New York City. She shared how her Bennington education and supportive faculty members inspired and shaped her own career path.

Image of Alli Poirot

Tell us about your current career–where are you working, and in what position?

I am teaching IB DP History at Dwight School, an international independent school in New York City. I also am a mentor teacher and work with five or six new teachers every year. In addition, I have designed and co-led international student trips to locations in Africa, Europe, and Latin America every year since 2021. 

Does your current job relate to your Bennington education? 

I received both my BA and my MAT from Bennington. My career was both inspired and shaped by the short-lived Center for Creative Teaching and Dan Coleman's and Betsy Burris's guidance (as well as by Ron Cohen and Eileen Scully, among many other amazing faculty members). I was able to create a tutorial called Schools Against the Man and study alternative pedagogies focusing on the student experience of learning. I doubt I would still be in the field of teaching, see teaching as such a creative and intellectual endeavor, and have the breadth of experience I have today if it were not for my experience at Bennington. 

What are some of your proudest professional achievements and/or current goals?

I am in my 21st year of teaching, and I have taught at seven schools on three continents. I have taught History, Psychology, and all manner of iterations thereof, created original curricula, presented at national conferences, served as department head and grade team head, mentored new teachers, advised student improv and writing clubs, led international student trips, and brought numerous speakers into the classroom. In the future, I hope to more closely work with teachers who are new to the profession. 

Do you have any career advice to share with current Bennington students? 

Keep mixing it up–you don't need to jump into a new career, but a change of scenery, location, institution, company, or role can help you make new connections and expand your thinking about what you do.