Classroom Conversations: Katie Cherkas and Ben Pacht
Two longtime educational leaders with over twenty years of service to United Schools joined The Huddle to discuss their deep care for students and clear-eyed vision for the Dana Ave. campus. Katie Cherkas, the incoming School Director for United Middle Dana Avenue, and Ben Pacht, United’s Executive Director of Teaching and Learning, had a candid talk as Katie steps into her new leadership role.
During the interview set in the STEM Lab at Dana Ave., the two discussed their journeys to their current roles, their unbridled passion for serving our Columbus community, and what’s next for Dana Ave. under Katie’s leadership.
The Huddle: Can you both introduce yourselves, your current roles, and some background on how long you’ve been with United?
Katie Cherkas: I'm Katie Cherkas. I'm the incoming School Director for Dana Ave. This will be my seventh year with United. For the last six years, I was at State St. For my first three years, I was a teacher — the first two of those teaching first-grade math. Then, in my third year, I was switched to second-grade math mid-year. For the last three years, I was Dean of Students there.
Ben Pacht: I'm Ben Pacht. I'm the Executive Director of Teaching and Learning at United Schools. This will be my 17th year at the network. I've been a teacher, Dean of Students, School Director at State St., and now, in this role, I support Katie and her role as School Director. I work on curriculum, teacher development, and some data work. I have my hands in a couple of different buckets!
The Huddle: Amazing. And, Ben, you already touched on this, but what is the primary purpose of your roles, if you were to describe it to someone who didn’t know?
Katie: I think sometimes, I mean, people will refer to a School Director the same as they would a Principal. So, the one leading the mission, the vision. Holding staff accountable, kids accountable, families accountable — the whole thing. Just making sure the ship runs smoothly.
Ben: Yeah, the central purpose of my role is to make sure that students are moving forward academically. That entails making sure that teachers have the skills they need to lead a strong classroom, ensure our school leaders are supported in everything they do, ensure we have high-quality instructional materials in front of every student, and ensure we're looking at data in a way that's going to help us improve.
Katie: I really want to know this about you, Ben, because you do so much. I mean, I'm so impressed all the time with how you do everything. How do you balance work and personal life, and what strategies have you found effective in managing stress with that?
Ben: Yeah, balancing work and personal life has changed over time. When I first came to United, you know, pretty young — not married, no kids. Obviously, that's changed. So, there are more demands on time, and you have to work to balance that a little bit more. I think, right now, in terms of balance, kids help a lot.
They, both my own personal kids and the kids at United, pull me deeply into what they're doing. When my kids engage in their activities, that flip kind of goes off in my mind — out of work mode, into family mode. Then, the same thing here. You engage with students as they are in the classroom, and they kind of force you to really deeply engage in what you're doing here.
Reading and working out help. Work-life balance is one of those things that means different things to different people, and it changes over time. It's more important to me in this chapter of my life just because I want to be really involved in what my kids are doing. Yeah, I think being organized helps. Being together, and really being pretty militant about one's time, is important. Trying to stretch the most out of every minute of every day.
Katie: Do you schedule times when you work? If you bring work home, do you schedule where you're like, "Okay, well, this is the time I'll be on my email or my computer?" And then, outside of that, “I have to shut it down and be present.”
Ben: Yeah, that's pretty much exactly what I do. And it's usually in the early morning hours. I'm a morning person. Kids are asleep, you know, so that's when I tend to get some things done. On the weekend, for example, or even sometimes during the week. More so than in the past, I have a pretty firm line in terms of when I flip the switch on and off with work, just because, with my own kids’ childhood, it just goes so quickly and it's so fleeting. I worked before, and I'll be working after they're grown. It's really important to be present in this particular moment.
How about yourself? How do you balance work and personal life?
Katie: So, this is going to be something that's challenging this year, I think. Fortunately, in my last roles, I left my computer at school. I was one of those people who used every minute of my prep or that morning hour before work. I prioritized myself so well that it was like, “Okay, I can shut my computer at 4:15 PM, and I'm already prepped for the rest of the week or even into next week.”
When I became Dean of Students that first year, I did have to take a little bit of work home, but it wasn't anything that wasn't manageable. I was still able to have my personal time. Weekends were no work. So, that's actually why I wanted to ask you. This year, I'm already noticing I'm on my computer more at home, or I'm constantly in catch-up mode. I think this could also be because I’m just returning from vacation, but I don't know. I like having work be work, and my personal life being separate is so important to me. I'm a little nervous to see how that goes. But, thankfully, I have you, and I talk to Kimberly all the time, who can help me understand what is actually important, in what I need to get done now, and what can wait. I'm someone who will overthink and be like, “I got to get this done now,” when really it could maybe wait till the next day, and not be at home. Just something I'll have to learn.
Ben: Yeah, makes sense. I'm curious about this one. What inspired you to work in education, and how has that inspiration evolved a little bit?
Katie: Yeah, it started really young. I, actually, for Christmas one year, got that old school projector where you would have like the Expo marker and those sheets. I would play “school” all the time by myself—because my brother definitely was not playing with me—so that's kind of where it started. I always loved school when I was really little.
Then, actually, as I got older, I started to get kind of irritated by some of my teachers. They weren't teaching me. I had a teacher in high school who highlighted our midterm and final answers and then graded them based on whether you participated in class and if he liked you. If you didn't agree with the grade you received, you had to go talk to him, and he would change it. It's very strange. So, the public school system in Jersey definitely wasn't it, but I think it inspired me to be like the best teachers I've had.
I had a seventh-grade math teacher who, to this day, I still talk to. He's amazing. He looked at me at graduation and said, "Don't work in middle school. They smell, and their hormones are crazy." I was like, "Oh, I'm not, I'm going to go to elementary." Which is funny now! I can't wait to tell him I'm going to be at the middle school. It pushed me to be like, "Okay, I want to be like these great teachers because every kid deserves the best teacher with the best experience." Because some teachers I had made me think, "Oh, why are you teaching? You don't like kids."
At Miami, I had a teacher who pushed back on the teacher mindset where a lot of us teachers were like, "Well, we have to get it perfect. It has to be right. We got to follow a rubric." And she went the opposite of, "No, I want you to write these papers based on your experiences and what you think. I'm not giving you a rubric. I'm not letting you check off this list so you get an A.”
That was the year we went into urban schools. I got there, and I was like, "Oh, this is where I want to be. This is where you build really great relationships with kids.” It was just very different than where I grew up. You could tell these kids just cling to you, and they love you, and they love that you're here every day. It brought me here. It really inspired me to be in urban settings. I think they deserve amazing teachers like any other kid. And I think, unfortunately, a lot of people don't want to be here because they're scared of whatever they think, their biases, or what they've heard about schools in the city.
I love it. It's hard work, but I love coming back every year.
Ben: Nice. That's good.
Katie: I'll ask you the same question, though. What inspired you to work in education, and how has that inspiration evolved since you started?
Ben: Unlike your story, I had a later start in education. You know, sometimes I wish, man, it had come to me earlier, but I never had that as a kid. That “this is what's going to click for me” moment. I tutored in college — junior and senior year — at the local high school with their EL student population. They had a pretty sizable group of students who were learning English. And I loved it. I was an anthropology and sociology major, which doesn't lead directly to a whole lot. So, I really didn't know what I was going to do after college. My assumption was probably going to the nonprofit world in some way., But I really liked teaching. So, I joined Teach for America because it kind of let me marry the two– like work with a student population that really needed and deserved a really high-quality education that maybe wasn't getting it, and then teach, which was obviously a newer interest of mine–and taught in Vegas for three years, and then just stuck with it. I just really enjoyed my time at my school. Wanted to continue working in education. It sort of just snowballed from there.
Ben: I want to ask this one. What's one thing you learned from the last school year that you're bringing with you into this year, especially in light of your role transition?
Katie: That is a great question. I learned about coaching. That would probably be a big one. Last year was the first year I coached teachers. I coached two math teachers at State St., and it's really hard to coach while being Dean of Students because it's a job where you have no idea if you’ll be needed and pulled elsewhere within the minute or the hour. To have the time to observe, to plan a meeting, and to then hold the meeting was really hard for me.
But, I did see a lot of gains from both teachers. I probably could have seen more had I been able to be consistent, but I got to learn what it looks like to coach. The basics, at least. I think that'll really help me, going into this school year, because I am going to be taking on a coaching load. The Dean of Students' role is different than that of the School Director, but at the same time, the School Director gets pulled places, too. Learning how to manage my time well and sticking to my calendar has been hard, but I've worked on it and I think I've gotten better over the years.
Katie: You probably have so many moments, but what was a memorable moment from your career that had a significant impact on you?
Ben: Oh, that's a good one. I think the first cohort of students from State who moved, from kindergarten all the way to fifth grade, and just seeing them leading that commencement ceremony. That was really special. I think back and, when State St. started, you know, I was pretty young. You know, Kimberly, the Dean of Family and Community Engagement at the time, was pretty young. We were a pretty young team. Obviously, there were two middle schools, so it's not like United was new on the scene. Some families were familiar with us, but we had a lot of families who were new to the network and didn't have older siblings with us, and all of that.
And, you know, now that I'm a parent, looking back on that and trying to reverse the roles, if someone knocked on my door or made a phone call and said, "Hey, we have this idea for a school. We're going to be sharing space with another school," which was Dana Ave. “We're still hiring teachers. We're still figuring out all the plans.” You know, I don't know if I would have been sold on that! And, Andy [Boy, United’s Founder and CEO] has a similar story with our flagship campus when he started, which was without even United existing at all. That was just a single school. So, now being a parent and, again, reversing the roles, it was pretty meaningful for our students and families, especially our families, to have such faith in what we were doing and what we wanted to do and trusting us with their children for all those years. So, that made an impact. And then seeing many of them go to Dana Ave. was just really cool. To see the K through 8 pipeline, start to develop.
How about yourself?
Katie: I would say the year that I got switched from first-grade math to second-grade math. I was in my third year of teaching. I remember it was the day when all the school directors came in and went through the school, so there were people in my room, including either you or Kathryn [Anstaett, United’s President and Chief Schools Officer]. I was like, "Oh, yeah, I got this." I finally started to feel confident as a teacher. “I'm so internalized, my management is solid.” I was feeling so good compared to back in my first year. Then, I got moved to second grade. Kimberly said it was the best move for the kids and, at the end of the day, the kids are why I'm here. So I did it.
It was really hard. That group of kids, I love them, but there were just challenges. Academically, they did really well, but their behaviors were a lot to handle. Learning a whole new curriculum was challenging, too. It sounds silly since second-grade math is easy, but having to internalize and then teach it… It was just new! I was also still planning the first-grade stuff and helping them. There were just a lot of moving pieces. That helped me, though, be more confident, actually, in my role. It made me realize my supervisor knew I could do it. Like, “Okay, yes, she got it. She's the one.” It just built that confidence in me, and then I ended up applying to be the Dean of Students and got that role. So, I think had that not happened, I don't know if I would have applied for the Dean position. I don't know if that jump would have happened. I don't know if I would have just stayed comfortable in my teaching space. So, I think it made such a significant impact on me.
Ben: That's cool. That's a good one.
Katie: I think this is an important question for everybody to know. What changes would you like to see at Dana Ave.?
Ben: I think just a more intensive focus on academics and rigor. Making the switch from focusing a lot on management and behavior, which, again, are important! You need a really structured, calm, positive classroom to lead instruction. But I think really changing the mentality from “it's okay for students to sort of opt out as long as they're not distracting other kids,” to “every single student matters every single minute of every single day. And if I see a head down or a pencil not moving, I'm going to address it.” And sometimes there's going to be a reason for it, and we will address that with the student. But I think that kind of expectation communicates to students that they matter, we're seeing them, they belong, and we're going to hold a high bar for them. Then, following that, obviously, making sure that we're delivering a really great academic program, so that they can move forward academically. I think that's really the big shift: 100% of students all in all the time.
How about yourself?
Katie: All of that, but I also want to see some joy. Middle school's really tough because behaviors look different. I remember being a middle school student, and it's a weird time for kids. As adults, I think we need to remember they're still kids. I think back to even some of our fifth graders. Sometimes, especially with TikTok now, they'll say things to me, and I'm like, “How do you know that? Why do you know that? What's happening?” And I think because of that, we just sometimes forget, “Okay, but you're still like 10, 11. You're really just a kid! You know nothing about life yet!”
So, I think just bringing back the joy, and assuming the best, but also relationship building – I think that's, honestly, my strongest thing that I bring to this role.
Ben: What are some of your goals or aspirations for this year? What would make this year a success?
Katie: Being fully staffed. That would be such a success for me. I think having people just be bought into the mission. I think it's hard when new people come, especially teachers who haven't taught yet, because you never know what to expect. So, I understand it's hard. I'm hoping we can build a team where we're all just driven by this mission and we're all aligned on, “We want to be here for the kids. We want kids to succeed. We want them to get to awesome high schools.”
I remember the day some of the girls got into Bishop Ready and ran up to me with their papers when I was here. That's when I really was like, "Oh, I kind of maybe want to be over here.” It's awesome that I'm seeing kids from State St. that I knew when they were in fourth or fifth grade. They're now going to these great high schools, and they're so excited. It's not like they're just going because their parents told them or they have to. No, they're genuinely excited. Like, “Can you believe it? I got in!” Just having a team who gets excited about those things and the small wins. I think, of course, I want our state test scores to go up, and I want us to excel in academics. I want behavior suspensions to go down. Of course, all those things, but I think if we build a strong team, those things can happen. Will it happen in a year? No. But, you know, in the next two, three, four, five, however many, I just hope we can build that strong team, that morale, and just keep people here because I think what changes the game is when people stay.
Ben: Yeah.
Katie: How about you?
Ben: Yeah, I would echo a lot of that. I think building a team around a common mission and having a really solid, shared understanding of that mission and vision for what a classroom should look like. I like your point about joy. Sometimes, I need to remember that too. Rigor plus joy is what we're going for. And for everybody to feel like they're growing. Just everyone moving forward from where they were at the beginning of the year and noting some sort of meaningful growth, I think, would be a huge success for the year.
The Huddle: What is something that you've come to appreciate about one another in collaborating?
Katie: I appreciate how organized Ben is. I am so impressed! Like he said, he has a hand in so many buckets. And then he just brings it every time. I remember it was the leadership meeting. It was the first one I went to. And I was like, “How does he have time to do all of this and all the things he's helping me with?!” I don't get it, but I appreciate it so much and I'm learning a lot from you. I've only heard amazing things at State St., obviously. So, I'm just excited to get to know you better in this role and work closely with you because we’ve always worked kind of afar. But yeah, I'm excited because you are so awesome.
Ben: Likewise. I appreciate a lot [about Katie]. I think one thing is, and you pointed this out, your ability to build relationships. That seems to continually come up: I observe it, people talk about it. Just to see that build between the campuses: it was really unique to see you come over here and help in the Culture Office, and it felt like you were part of the team already! You just know the community, know the students, know the families. It was just seamless. I think that's going to be a huge asset. I just really appreciate that because you and Kimberly, it seems, are the go-tos in terms of building relationships that are durable over time.
And the directness, I think that's going to really help. You communicate very directly. You're decisive. I think there are so many decisions you have to make in a school. Some of those, you know, warrant conversations and reflection, and you have to kick things around, but sometimes you just have to make a decision and go. And I think specific to Dana, too, I think that's what we need, maybe more of, in some moments. Just, “Here's what it is. Let's move forward, together.” So, I think that's going to be a huge asset. I've really appreciated that coming from you, for sure.
Katie: Thank you!
The Huddle: If you could say anything to supporters of United, what would you say to them?
Katie: Just thank you for everything. Anytime I've been with donors, even our book fair, they're just so engaged. It's not one of those things where our donors are these secret people from afar. They're always around. And I think it's really cool. I think sometimes even the kids are like, "Who's that? I can tell they're important." But it's just really cool that they're like hands-on donors. I think we're really lucky here with who we've brought in. So, just thank you for everything.
Ben: Yeah, really the same. Columbus is a big city. There are lots of places to support, and for folks that are selecting us year over year, it's pretty special. So a huge thanks for the time and the money and the energy. Maintaining their faith in us and our ability to move forward with strength. Huge thank you.
Thank you to Katie and Ben for reminding us that leadership at United is about more than just logistics — it’s about purpose-driven, honest reflection and unwavering, passionate belief in what’s possible when we show up for students and one another.
Connection is a hallmark of United culture, and this is a glimpse into the dialogues that define our campuses.
