
Administration
Amy Gordon Risz
Sixth and Seventh Grade Learning Specialist
Amy Gordon Risz has had many roles in her 30 years in education, including classroom teacher, learning specialist, middle school assistant principal, literacy coach, and teacher mentor throughout New York City, England, and the Bay Area. She worked at Ecole Bilingue in Berkeley for seven years prior to joining the Black Pine Circle School community in 2016. Amy has an M.S. in special education and school leadership. She is a native New Yorker, and in her personal time enjoys hiking anywhere she can, listening to podcasts while trying new recipes, and exploring the world with her husband and two teenage sons (both BPC alums).
Why I Work with Children
I love listening to children’s ideas and stories. I love supporting students in identifying their strengths and helping them build on these areas. I love that I am constantly learning from students.
A Favorite Book
Middlesex: I love well-written books with a captivating plot where I am also learning something about another place, culture, or moment in history. This book hit all those marks for me.
Quick Fact
Ziplined in Laos, tended bar in Portugal