My name is Krzysztof, or Chris, Odyniec (say: oh-DINN-yets). I was born in Poland, moved to the US as a kid and grew up in the East Bay. I studied History at UC Berkeley (BA, 2001) and, after two years in the Peace Corps in Mali, became a teacher. I also studied education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education (EdM, 2006) and completed my doctorate at Berkeley (PhD, 2017), specializing in the history of the Spanish Empire. I've taught all over: in Alaska, in Boston, in Egypt, and of course in the Bay Area, both at the high school and college level. I speak Spanish, French, and Polish. I live twelve miles away; I am married and have four kids (ages 4 to 9); we also have a dog, a black lab named Millie.

I love teaching and I love history: both of them are fundamentally about people, about humans, and what makes us tick. I think good teaching activates the spirit of exploration and discovery for every student. John Swett called it "an axiom in the art of teaching" that students ought to do the exciting work of the learning for themselves while teachers provide "wise guidance" (John Swett, Methods of Teaching, 1880, p. 6).

At John Swett High School, I teach World Geography & Ethnic Studies, World History, and AP Psychology.

Yo hablo español y soy un inmigrante; yo vine a los EEUU en la niñez (de Polonia) y aprendí español en mi escuela y colegio. También soy historiador y estudié, por años, la historia del imperio español y de América latina en mi trabajo de doctorado. Les invito a todos a hablar conmigo en español si prefieren; sería un placer para mí.

Click here to see or download my CV: file Odyniec CV.