My name is Sam Edelstein and this is my seventh year teaching high school math at the Columbus School in Medellín, Colombia. I want to share with you some of my impressions of the school and of the city as you consider the possibility of teaching here. But before I do that, I need to be honest with you about something: I am incredibly biased. I love this school. And I am very thankful for everything that this school has done for me. The Columbus School has completely transformed the way that I teach and has made my profession more rewarding and enjoyable than ever before. Let me tell you what you a little about what you can expect if you choose to work here.

The Columbus School is by far the best school to work at in Medellín. It has a large, beautiful and green campus. The students are confident, motivated, creative and multi-talented. The classes are small (maximum 25 students) and each classroom is equipped with cutting edge technology. The other teachers that work here are helpful and inspiring—what a privilege it has been to learn from such professionals! The administrators give us a lot of freedom to experiment and are very quick to recognize and celebrate our successes. There are many opportunities for professional growth and development, including participating in workshops taught by very talented peer teachers. The school encourages experimentation, applying knowledge, teamwork and the use of technology.

The city of Medellín is one of the safest and most progressive cities in the world. Here, you will not encounter any of the violence or danger that you might have seen on the Narcos Netflix series because the city has gone through a radical transformation. Medellín changed from being called “the most dangerous city in the world” by Time magazine on March 21, 1988 to being chosen as “the most innovative city of the world” by Citi-bank and the Urban Land Institute in 2013, beating New York and Tel Aviv. This year, Medellín was chosen over all the cities in the world to receive the Lee Kuan Yew World City Price by the government of Singapore. The Nominating Committee wrote, “within a span of just two decades, Medellín has overcome challenges of uncontrolled urban expansion, and transformed itself from a notoriously violent city to one that is being held up as a model for urban innovation.” Medellín is often called “the city of the eternal spring” because it happens to have the best weather in the world (expect highs of 75o F and lows of 65oF).  The city is green and beautiful. It has one of the most efficient and innovative public transportation systems in the world (including a metro, gondolas and giant escalators on the side of a mountain). Some of the best restaurants in Latin America can be found in Medellín (you have to eat at “El Cielo” at least once in your life if you move here!).

I hope that you choose to join our team and I look forward to learning with you,

Sam Edelstein, AP Calculus teacher at the Columbus School