Ani Guillaume and Sarah Etienne also contributed to this article.
As the new school year began, Malden High School introduced Alicia Serafin to the Multilingual Learner (ML) Department. Serafin, although she is originally from New Hampshire, grew up in Massachusetts and earned degrees from Salem State University, Cornell University, and UCLA. In addition, Serafin most recently worked with middle school students at Madeline English School in Everett, Massachusetts. As she begins her first year at Malden High, Serafin is excited to bring her love for teaching to its students.
Serafin initially worked in business and had not considered education before, saying she was inspired to teach from her friends who are also teachers. “The friends I had that were teaching seemed the most balanced in terms of having that work-life balance that I was striving for, which I did not have in consulting,” Serafin shared.
While being here, Serafin impresses students and faculty alike around her. “I think she’s a really good listener, she’s patient, empathetic, and very smart, so she can relate to students, even though she might not have a similar experience. She has a growth mindset and is open to all sorts of possibilities for diverse students,” mentioned Jennifer McCabe, head teacher of the ML department.
“She provides students an opportunity to improve their literacy at school; she’s just really calm,” Brian Bates, Holland House principal, commented.
“I’ve been really happy here. This is my 15th year of teaching, and I’ve been very happy with both the administrators, colleagues, and students,” Serafin shared.
“She has experience; she wants to get to know her students, and she wants them to have a good year. She wants them to learn as much as possible, and I think we’re very lucky to have a teacher with that kind of drive,” stated Catherine Whyte, another Multilanguage Learner teacher.
“Whenever I talk to her, she’s relaxed; she’s so kind, and I think being relaxed and having kindness is so important to connecting with students and enjoying your day,” Whyte continued.
Daniangel Pineda, a student in Serafin’s class, described her as “very smart” and remarked that she knows how to teach well.
As students and teachers at Malden High School have reached the two-month mark into the school year, Serafin claimed her goals would be “to continue to support” her students and to “make progress.”
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