Art Garfunkel: Famous musician and former high school math teacher

Almost everyone has heard of the famous musician Art Garfunkel of Simon & Garfunkel fame. The duo brought us such famous hits as “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” “Sound of Silence,” and “Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme.” But did you know that Art was once a high school math teacher?

Art was born on November 5, 1941, in Forest Hills in Queens, New York. He was the middle of three sons born to Jewish parents, Rose and Jacob Garfunkel. Art earned his Bachelor’s degree in Art History at Columbia College in 1965. He earned his Master’s degree in Mathematics at Columbia University in 1967. He also completed coursework towards a doctorate in Mathematics Education.

Art met Paul Simon when they were in the sixth grade together at Forest Hills Junior Elementary School in Queens. The two were cast in a school production of Alice in Wonderland, and the long-lasting musical partnership blossomed from there. As adults, Simon & Garfunkel won five Grammy awards together, two in 1968 and three in 1970. In 1990, Art and Paul were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The celebrity once confided that if he had not had a career in music, he would have been happy with a career as a teacher. “I loved the curriculum. I loved the act of teaching,” Art once confided. In fact, in 1971-1972, after his breakup with Paul Simon, Art taught math to high school students at the Litchfield Preparatory School. The school is a private academy located in Litchfield, Connecticut.

To learn more about Art and his experience in the classroom, you can read this online the article at Forbes Magazine.