Sunday May 26th 2013

Warren Orloff: Samo’s newest student

ALWAYS MORE TO LEARN: Warren Orloff discusses D/E with another student in the class. (Molly Chaikin/The Samohi)

Max Gumbel
Staff Writer

Warren Orloff is certainly not your typical Samo teacher, nor is he technically employed at Samo. You may find him in an Algebra II classroom, helping students with their logarithms, or maybe after school tutoring a struggling math student, all pro bono. But now, he is focusing on learning math rather than teaching it, pulling out his calculator and notebook to study the concepts of the new Calculus D/E course.

Orloff started a serious mathematics career in college, where he majored in the subject at the University of Chicago. His passion continued to grow, and he soon became an actuary for insurance companies, using math to help the company form retirement plans. However, even with a life devoted to math, he still wishes to learn more.

“I have studied and used math constantly throughout my whole life, but still many parts of [Calculus D/E] are unfamiliar to me,” Orloff said.

From his childhood onward, Orloff has always had a passion for knowledge and sharing that knowledge with others, a passion that keeps him coming back to Samo each year.

“The pupils are great here at Samo and the instructors magical,” Orloff said.

Orloff is also admired by many of his fellow math teachers.

“Mr. Orloff is an amazing man. I really look up to his passion for math and curiosity for education,” Calculus teacher Steve Rupprecht said.

In fact, outside of math, teaching and learning are Orloff’s true passions.

“Education, whether you are a teacher or a student, is simply the most wonderful thing there is,” Orloff said.

mgumbel@thesamohi.com

More from category

Teenage Drinking

  The only thing you should be drinking is apple juice Claire Goldberg Staff Writer [Read More]

Betsy Crocker

Elizabeth Mebane Staff Writer   From jolly winter evenings spent inventing gumdrop adorned gingerbread men to [Read More]

Behind the Mic

Chase Wohrle and Brooke Weiss Sports Editor and Staff Writer    Ben: With a look of white Jewish boy meets laid-back [Read More]

Stay Organized

A magical guide to getting your life in order that you definitely need. [Read More]

Being Philosophical

Aliza Abarbanel Culture Editor  A group of teenage Orthodox Jews suddenly parts as a half naked homeless man on roller [Read More]