Teaching Profession Photo Essay

See Me After School

By Education Week Photo Staff — March 11, 2014 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Aliza Eliazarov is a Brooklyn-based photographer, picture editor, and teacher. Her portrait series, “See Me After School,” draws inspiration from her personal experiences as an educator for 8 years before leaving the profession to become a photographer.

“After school is a poignant time in a teacher’s day. It’s one of both reflection and preparation – exhaustion and relief, concern and contentment. This portrait series is a glimpse into the world of the challenging life of today’s educator,” says Eliazarov.

All of the portraits were taken right after school at the end of the last school year. Eliazarov had her subjects close their eyes and check in with how they were feeling before photographing them. She then interviewed each about their day.

Josina Reaves: A high school teacher at Poly Prep in Dyker Heights in Brooklyn. How do you feel right now? Exhausted. What was the highlight of your day? I read some fantastic student poems; some were really thoughtful, well done, and revealing.
Jeremy St. Romain: A middle school technology teacher at MS 343, The Bronx School of Applied Mathematics and Technology. What was the high point of your day? I had a good time with my 6th graders. Right now they’re doing Google presentations. Even some of the knuckleheads were engaged.
Kate Louis: A high school English teacher at Urban Assembly For Green Careers on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. How do you feel right now? Accomplished, proud of students who stayed late, and overwhelmed because I still need to make lesson plans for tomorrow.
Emma Fryer: A middle school special education teacher at MS 363, The Academy For Personal Leadership and Excellence in the Bronx. What was the highlight of your day? There was a really good flow today in one of the struggling classes. It’s really nice when everyone is working at their fullest capacity. I’ve been working really hard developing a new lesson plan template. What do you like most about teaching? Picking kids’ brains apart to find the best way for them to access the curriculum.
Hilary Koenig- Beynon: A middle school art teacher at Poly Prep in Dyker Heights in Brooklyn. How do you feel right now? Tired. What’s the best thing about your job? The kids are mostly motivated and enthusiastic. There are lots of resources here. What’s the hardest thing? You have to be “on” all day. Also, school politics.
Peter Mancini: An elementary music teacher at PS 164 in Borough Park in Brooklyn. I was a baker before I was a teacher. I really enjoy teaching. I get a kick out of the kids. What was the high point of your day? Conducting the band playing Star Wars.
Jacqueline Malanga: An art teacher at High School For Fashion Industries in Chelsea. How do you feel right now? Glad to be here, relieved that it’s the end of the day. I have a lot to do for tomorrow, but if I go home I will crash. I constantly think about how to take time for myself and not get completely enveloped, but I do.
Francesca Leibowitz: A middle school English teacher at Poly Prep in Dyker Heights in Brooklyn. She left a career in advertising to teach. What was the high point of your day? I’m currently doing a poetry unit. Students were enthusiastic, and inspiring. I’m thinking about wrapping up, cleaning my desk and getting organized. I have to say I have the best job. I love, love, love what I do.
Maddie Sage-El: A high school special education teacher at Urban Assembly for Green Careers on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. How do you feel right now? Exhausted.
Belina David: A fashion design teacher at The High School For Fashion Industries in Chelsea. How do you feel right now? Tired. My son wants to go home but I can’t because there’s too much to do. We are getting ready for a fashion show. Yesterday I was in Albany with the teachers’ lobby. That was exciting.
Ariel Polonsky: A preschool teacher at the Brooklyn Heights Synagogue Preschool. What was the high point of your day? There were lots of little high points. The room was humming. We let our butterflies go today. That was nice! What was the low point? I forgot my lunch.

Related Tags:

A version of this article first appeared in the Full Frame blog.

Events

Jobs Regional K-12 Virtual Career Fair: DMV
Find teaching jobs and K-12 education jubs at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Artificial Intelligence Webinar
Making AI Work in Schools: From Experimentation to Purposeful Practice
AI use is expanding in schools. Learn how district leaders can move from experimentation to coordinated, systemwide impact.
Content provided by Frontline Education
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Student Well-Being & Movement Webinar
Building Resilient Students: Leadership Beyond the Classroom
How can schools build resilient, confident students? Join education leaders to explore new strategies for leadership and well-being.
Content provided by IMG Academy

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Teaching Profession Opinion Portrayals of Educators on Film and TV: The Good, the Bad, The Ugly
From "Lean on Me" to "Abbott Elementary," how realistic is Hollywood’s representation of schools?
14 min read
Conceptual illustration of classroom conversations and fragmented education elements coming together to form a cohesive picture of a book of classroom knowledge.
Sonia Pulido for Education Week
Teaching Profession Download 5 Strategies for Supporting K-12 Teachers: Lessons From California
This resource discusses the main takeaways from a March 2026 live event hosted by Education Week and EdSource.
1 min read
Attendees and panelists partake in breakout sessions during the State of Teaching event in San Francisco in March 2026.
Attendees and panelists partake in breakout sessions during the State of Teaching event in San Francisco in March 2026.
Andrew Reed/EdSource
Teaching Profession Q&A Teach For America's Tutoring Focus Is Now Helping Drive Teacher Recruitment
The education corps is rebounding from pandemic losses, thanks in large part to a burgeoning tutor focus.
4 min read
Teach for America teacher Channler Williams with kindergartners at Templeton Elementary School in Riverdale, MD on April 12, 2016. Teach for America has seen its applicants drop in each of the last three years so they are retooling the way they recruit students. One thing they are doing is taking prospects to see TFA teachers at work. Today, students from Georgetown and George Washington University got a glimpse of life in the classroom and Mrs's Williams class was among those visited.
Teach For America has had success getting undergraduates to tutor, some of whom later go into its teaching corps. The organization is seeking ways how to respond to newer teachers' needs and expectations. TFA teacher Channler Williams works with her kindergartners at Templeton Elementary School in Riverdale, Md. on April 12, 2016.
Linda Davidson/The Washington Post via Getty
Teaching Profession 2026 Teacher of the Year Preps History Students for a Diverse and Divisive World
Leon Smith of Pennsylvania engages high school students in new angles on seemingly well-trodden topics and events.
3 min read
Teacher of the Year Leon Smith on March 25, 2026 Haverford High School in Pennsylvania.
The 2026 Teacher of the Year, Leon Smith, in his classroom at Haverford High School in Pennsylvania on March 25, 2026,
Courtesy of the Council of Chief State School Officers