Welcome back to Doodle Caboodle, the series where we sit down with the people who shape everyday life at Nysmith. This episode features Mr. Femlin, Nysmith's Director of Technology and Upper School lead teacher, who has been part of the Nysmith community for more than two decades, first as a parent, and later as a teacher. 
From Nysmith Parent to Nysmith Teacher
Mr. Femlin's Nysmith story didn't start in a classroom. He came to the school as a parent, searching for the right fit for his oldest son after moving back from Hong Kong. He had looked at schools on the West Coast and the East Coast, and it was almost by chance that he found Nysmith, from an ad in the back of a magazine his wife spotted while going through the mail.
What sold him wasn't the tour itself. It was watching how teachers and students interacted with each other.
"I'll be honest with you, I didn't really listen to anything you said, but what I was doing is I was paying attention to how the teachers and how the students were interacting with each other. That was more important to me."
He got involved gradually, helping with Helping Hands and stepping in as a guest lecturer, before eventually being talked into teaching full time. It wasn't an easy sell. Mr. Femlin has said he didn't enjoy school himself growing up, moving frequently and never quite feeling settled, until he reached the university level. That experience shapes how he connects with students who feel the same way today.
Teaching Students How to Think, Not What to Think
Ask Mr. Femlin about his approach to teaching, and one idea comes up again and again: helping students learn how to think, not simply what to think. That philosophy is especially visible in how he introduces sixth graders to AI, starting with the basics of what it is before moving into questions of ethics and bias.
"It's like you start formulating how you think as opposed to what to think. And I think that's the most important thing that we're doing here."
His grading reflects the same mindset. Rather than expecting perfection every day, he looks for effort and steady progress over time, a philosophy he sums up simply: every child is their own lesson.
Teaching Students How to Think, Not What to Think
Ask Mr. Femlin about his approach to teaching, and one idea comes up again and again: helping students learn how to think, not simply what to think. That philosophy is especially visible in how he introduces sixth graders to AI, starting with the basics of what it is before moving into questions of ethics and bias.
"It's like you start formulating how you think as opposed to what to think. And I think that's the most important thing that we're doing here."
His grading reflects the same mindset. Rather than expecting perfection every day, he looks for effort and steady progress over time, a philosophy he sums up simply: every child is their own lesson.
New Tech on the Horizon 
Technology moves fast, and Mr. Femlin treats that as an opportunity rather than a challenge. His classroom already includes a wall of VEX robots, a 3D printer, and a maker lab, and this year students will get to try something new: drones, after years of waiting on federal approval to bring them to campus.
Students help shape how new programs take off, offering feedback and ideas along the way rather than just following a set curriculum.
A Second Home for Middle Schoolers
Mr. Femlin also spoke about what makes the Upper School community stick with students long after they graduate. Alumni return again and again, often describing Nysmith as a home away from home, and he credits the day-to-day relationships between staff and students for setting that tone.
One memory from his very first tour has stayed with him: watching a younger student get distracted by a squirrel, only to see an older student break off from their friends to help without hesitation.
"There was no like, oh, I'm not going to. We actually care."
That same spirit shows up in one of the school's traditions. Before eighth graders take the stage at graduation, they parade through the hallways one last time, an emotional moment of celebration and goodbye that marks the close of their Nysmith journey.
Experience the Nysmith Difference
More stories from the Nysmith community are coming in future episodes of Doodle Caboodle. But nothing tells the story quite like seeing it in person. We invite you to schedule a tour and experience the Nysmith difference for yourself.
