By Zoel Diaz
Q: How long have you been teaching?
A: "This is my fifth year teaching. I taught my first year at Ludlow High School, which I also graduated from. That was the 2017-2018 school year. I then jumped ship for Chicopee High School."
Q: What made you want to get into teaching?
A: "Well, it's because of my parents. They came to the United States from Yugoslavia to escape the war that was going on there. Having come here not knowing English, it was my job to translate things for them, whether it was the nightly news or legal documents that would come in the mail. I basically had to expand my vocabulary very quickly, while I was still very young. I remember being, maybe 6 years old, and stressing out because I didn't know what the word 'judicial' meant in a letter my parents had received in the mail. It was very stressful, but I got into teaching English because that's basically what I've been doing my whole life."
Q: Is teaching English tough?
A: "Teaching English is super easy, because I love literature, grammar, poetry, and all of those things. What makes it hard is not the teaching, it's getting students to understand the importance of it. I've had so many students ask me over the years why English is even a class in high school. To that, I usually say, write me a one page essay explaining to me why it shouldn't be a class. The answer, every time, is 'I'm not doing that.' There. That's why we need English. Because being a good writer is important and no one wants to write."
Q: What are your thoughts on YONDR?
A: "I like the idea of YONDR, but I think it'll take a while for it to stick. I had cell phone pockets in my classroom, and that was something I did from day one. You come in, put your phone in the pocket, take it on your way out. It worked like a charm. I think we should've tried that out as a school first, but here we are. I think YONDR will be a good thing, in the end."
Q: What was your “ I almost quit “ moment as a teacher?
A: "I've really only had one, so far. Last year, when we were remote, I had a student in Sports Journalism. He was a senior, and he would never log on to attend class, and he would never complete any of the work I'd assign on Google Classroom. I reached out to his Guidance Counselor, and his guardian several times. I even put together a packet of work for him to complete over April Break which would get him to pass, all to no avail. Then, in May, he logged in maybe 2-3 times, but it was too little too late. I let him know he was failing. I guess failing my class would have prevented him from graduating, so suddenly, the same guardian I had emailed began emailing me. She was essentially harassing me via email about his grades and his graduation. It was a pretty bad situation that, thankfully, ended up getting resolved."
Q: What is your craziest thing that ever happened in your life of teaching?
A: "Man, I could mention quite a few. But the first one that comes to mind would be my first year teaching here at CHS. I was on my prep period and I heard incredibly loud banging and screaming around the corner near Mr. Smith's classroom. I made my way over and 2 senior boys were fighting. Not only were they bludgeoning each other, but there was a literal pool of blood on the floor. Thankfully, it was being broken up as I arrived."
Q: So, outside of teaching, what do you like to do?
A: "I enjoy a lot of things. Mainly, I enjoy powerlifting. I've been competing in powerlifting since I was in college. I felt like it was a pretty natural progression since I played football all throughout middle school, high school, and college. I always liked lifting weights. Aside from that, I've been playing guitar for about 16 years now, and I love it. It's very relaxing for me. I'm also an avid video game collector. I'm a Nintendo guy."
Q: What position did you play? Did you do any other sports?
A: "I played hockey in middle school, but I kept outgrowing my pads and breaking sticks, so my Dad said that's enough of that. I have been an offensive lineman my whole football life. I played right guard and right tackle, specifically, but mostly right guard. I'd give my life to protect my quarterback every time I was out on that field, so my coaches loved sticking me in as a guard."
Q: What is the least enjoyable part of your job?
A: "I've got to be honest, not too much. I've gotten used to waking up early and going to bed early. If I had to choose, I'd say grading essays. I mean, you figure I've got about 90 freshmen a year, and they each write 2-3 pages per essay assignment. That's a whole lot of reading, correcting, commenting, and feedback."
Q: What is the most enjoyable part of your job?
A: "Definitely the kids. I mean, it's why I do what I do. I've got a sarcastic sense of humor, and high school kids get it whereas middle and elementary schoolers might not. I love making meaningful connections with my students and even with my coworkers. I love helping people, and it's always so great when, at the end of the year, students say to me 'thank you. I loved this class.' That right there makes every second of this enjoyable."
Q: What was your "this job is totally worth it" moment?
A: "I've had so many. But, my birthday this past week was particularly special. My students knew when my birthday was, so on that day, I was surprised with balloons, cards, gifts, and kind words. I can't really put how I felt into words, but I will say that this past birthday is now on of my top 3 birthdays of all time. I love my students."
Q: If you knew then what you know, now would you still have decided to get into the profession of teaching?
A: "I've actually thought about this many times in the past and honestly, I can't see myself doing anything but [teaching]. So the answer, unequivocally, is yes. Yes, I would."
Q: What advice would you give a first year teacher?
A: "Year one sucks. Year two sucks even more. If you can make it past the first two years, it's smooth sailing. Set a routine and stick to it."
Comments