Allen Amusin — Math
You’ve taught at both middle school and high school. How do they compare?
The students are completely different. What’s great about middle school students is their excitement for math, but the downside is that their attention span is very small. Here, students have a much better attention span, and there are much higher levels of math, so you have to tweak the interest level.
Any hobbies?
Most sports–basketball, football, running, jogging–and sudoku. But usually during the school year, it’s a lot of planning lessons and making sure that my students are doing as best as they can.
Robert Carpenter — Fine Arts
If you could be any fictional character, who would you be?
There’s a fictional character part of the anime GTO. His name is Onizuka. When I saw that, and what a teacher could be, and how much a teacher could mean to his students, I wanted to be that.
What do you like best about being an art teacher?
The freedom. There’s a lot of freedom of what I want to show my students and how I want to show my students as long as I’m teaching them what they need to know. As long as they understand what they need to know, I can do it whatever which way I please.
Rosalie Chung — English
What’s your favorite thing about being a teacher?
My favorite thing about being a teacher is just building the relationships with students and watching them grow and progress in their education and understanding of learning.
What’s been your impression of Aragon so far?
The staff is very collaborative, and I think the students are very eager and motivted and sweet and kind.
Any embarrassing stories from working in a school environment?
Sometimes some staff will think I’m a student.
Nihal Abdelnaby — Science
Any embarrassing stories from working in a school environment?
When I first started teaching in Egypt, students kept [asking me to] pass the eraser, and I would be like “Okay, don’t get up, I’ll give it to you.” I don’t know what made me look at the eraser, but it had the answers written on it. So I was the fool, passing the answers from kid to kid. It was not very embarrassing, per se, but it was foolish.
What’s your favorite thing about the subjects you teach?
It really pertains to life. I teach science, so students can use it in their everyday lives.
Sara Moshirvaziri — Spanish
How is Aragon different compared to your high school?
It was in Iran, back in the ’90s. I was in an all-girls school. Here, the staff is more friendly, and there’s less discipline. [At my high school], when the teacher entered the class, we’d have to stand up; so there are cultural differences.
What’s the number one thing on your bucket list?
[I want to] go to Egypt.
If you could be any fictional character, who would you be?
[I’d want to be] the Queen of Sheba.
Rachael Reimers — Social Science
Where else have you taught?
I actually started my student teaching here with Jim Smith five years ago, and I got a teaching job at Mills. Working with [Mr. Smith] was a wonderful opportunity. I’m new, but I’m returning.
How does Aragon compare to Mills?
Aragon is a lot more fun, in ways. There’s really good spirit. I think it’s a place where we work together a lot, and it seems to be a tighter-knit community.
If you could save one thing from a house fire, what would it be?
Probably this little box that my grandmother gave me.
