E D U C AT I O N
“Mr. Von has taught me a
lot about math and
algebra, but he also taught
me to always believe in
myself, and go into a test,
game or anything in life
with confidence. You
should push yourself to be
the best you can be.”
SIDNEY TOPF
40 MONTCLAIR MAGAZINE BACK TO SCHOOL 2016
PETER
VON HOFFMANN
MATH TEACHER IN
HOUSE GILL/GLENFIELD
MIDDLE SCHOOL
IMPORTANT NUMBERS: Peter
Von Hoffmann’s family has been in
Montclair three or four generations, he says. His wife, Anne,
moved to Montclair at 10 or 11,
and they started dating in their
senior year at MHS, where Von
Hoffmann was a star lacrosseplayer. After receiving a master’s
degree in education at Lehigh
University, he taught at MKA for
two years.
FIVE-YEAR PLAN: After Pete,
their first child, was born, the Von
Hoffmanns agreed that Peter
would work in finance, and review
the decision every five years.
Twenty years later, he was a sales
trader at Merrill Lynch when the
tragic events of 9/11 convinced
him to “rethink the meaning of
life” and return to teaching.
THE SOLUTION: A timely call
from a House Gill teacher
informed Von Hoffmann about an
opening for a math teacher. To
become certified, he attended
Montclair’s Alternate Route program, in which he worked full time
in the classroom during the day,
while taking nighttime classes in
the high school annex.
IT ALL ADDS UP: “This is my
13th year teaching,” says Von
Hoffmann, who coached hockey
and junior lacrosse throughout his
career. “I teach everything from
Math 6 to geometry. Kids stay the
same. They still come into a classroom and want someone to treat
them fairly; if someone expects
more out of them, they respond
to that. But they’re learning 10
times more than I ever learned. I
didn’t think about algebra till ninth
grade, and now they’re getting it
by seventh grade.” ➤
CHALKBOARD ART: THINKSTOCK; INSET PHOTO: COURTESY OF WILL FINKEL
BONUS POINTS: