Name: 
Brett Hartfield

Grade or subject teaching:
4th-8th Grade Math Corps Member

Where did you teach or work before starting here?
I’m a recent graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi, who worked as a Toys ‘R’ Us kid throughout school.

What do you like best about your move to Cook County?
I can’t choose just one!

In my brief time, I’ve fallen in love with the snow, Lake Superior’s hypnotic waves (and its moods), the North Woods, and the two foxes that greeted me on Highway 61 as I made my way into Grand Marais that first night in December. Oh! Also, the community and how welcoming everyone has been in creating a heartening and joyful experience for a newcomer. 

What surprising fact about you may surprise people?
Hmmm, I don’t consider myself a “math person” per se.

My love is English Literature, particularly writers such as Henry David Thoreau, Walt Whitman, Edgar Allan Poe, and Ambrose Bierce.

By having a solid foundation in mathematics it’s made understanding some concepts that I enjoy within literature extremely rewarding, such as how time and space functions in the works of Mark Z. Danielewski or Jorge Louis Borges.

I believe in and support anyone who wants to improve their skill set (including math of course!) because they are always going to intersect with one another.

Family/personal life/hobbies that you would like to share:

My family lives back in Hattiesburg, MS (home of Brett Favre for those Vikings or Packers fans). I’m left handed and I love baseball, even pitching in college. I also love golf, but it doesn’t love me back nearly as much.

I have two of the best dogs in the world (your pets are the best too!). They are named Doxy and Dashiell. One dog is named after a magical creature in Harry Potter and the other after writer Dashiell Hammett.

Together, we have gone on many adventures in our canoe, and we are eagerly anticipating exploring the Boundary Waters Canoe Area and hiking after winter. If I’m not on an adventure with pups, I’m likely reading a book or watching some obscure film with a warm cup of coffee close by while they lay at my feet or sit in my lap. More than likely, I’m trying to work up the nerve to try something new and exciting.  

Welcome to Cook County, Brett!