In previous years, Aleksandra Ola Kordowska, a math teacher, taught at Malden High School. Kordowska decided to leave Malden High School when she became a mother; she left on maternity leave in the beginning and then left again when she had two kids so she would be able to focus on her family.
During her time out of teaching, Kordowska learned many things from motherhood that helped shape her and her teaching skills overall.
When asked about her passion for math, Kordowska said, “I love teaching math, because I feel like it was a subject that I struggled with when I was in high school. And then over time, I have really learned to--I have grown to love it. So I feel that I can really help students learn to love math.”
Kordowska’s interest in teaching math comes from the perspective she takes, being a student once and knowing personally how students might struggle. Her reasoning for being a teacher is rooted in the inspiration she got from teachers she had back in high school. Kordowska wanted to be a person students could look up to as a teacher.
As any teacher would, Kordowska has her ups and downs with students. She does not see it as a fault, but rather a projection of students and their inner feelings. As a teacher and human with her own feelings as well, she came to understand that any setbacks with a student were connected to their lives outside of school or her relationship with the student.
To help students out and make them flourish and prosper, Kordowska gets to know them as a people, encouraging them as well. Connecting to her experience being a mother, Kordowska said, “I think it’s changed me a lot. It has made me a lot more sensitive to students and their needs.”
Kordowska decided to come back to Malden again because she loves the community, the students she has come to know, and the other teachers at Malden High School as well. The environment around Kordowska at Malden High School shows the bond she has created over the years with the community.
The amount of consideration and attentiveness Kordowska shows her students portrays her abilities of being a teacher. She wants her students to thrive, and help them when they are struggling. Being a teacher, she has come to comprehend what it means to recognize the thoughts and feelings of her students and the students of Malden High.
