Teacher Interview Part 1.
The Hunter-Gatherers interviewed our school teachers and faculty. Each teacher has their special story and each teacher has their history. In this release, we put together interviews from the Manhattan Hunter Science High School English and History Departments. In the following release, Parts 2 and 3 will cover the rest of the faculty.
English Department
Ms. Zakaria
Ms. Zakaria has been teaching for 16 years as an English teacher; this is her first year teaching at MHSHS. It was only till her freshman year in college that Ms. Zakaria began to work toward becoming a teacher. For some time, Ms. Zakaria dreamed of being an artist or writer. However, with the suggestion and support of her college advisor, she double majored in English and secondary education. In her leisure time, Ms. Zakaria researches the history and impact of colonialism in India and the diaspora of the Desi people. Additionally, as another way to recharge, Ms. Zakaria enjoys reading novels and comic books; making art; writing essays and stories; binge-watching shows and movies; and, lastly, sleeping. Ms. Zakaria wants her students to be critical thinkers. She wants them to question and ponder everything and make rational decisions while working hard to create the life they want for themselves.
Mr. Nasr
Mr. Nasr is a teacher who has been teaching since 1997. He was inspired to teach children because each of his students showed courage to learn. He wanted to help them discover who they are and help them reach their potential. Mr. Nasr is a man with many hobbies. In his free time, he likes to train for triathlons, which are multisport endurance competitions. He also likes to attend opera performances. Mr. Nasr expects many things from his beloved students, but mostly he wants them to be able to manage themselves, have good time management skills, and ask for help when they need it. At the end of the day, Mr. Nasr just wants to help his students uncover who they are.
Mr. Pompa
Mr. Pompa is a teacher who has been helping students learn since he was in high school himself. He had taken part in an after-school program when he was 15–21, where he used to help students after school. He started working with the DOE when he was 21, and he has been working at MHSHS for almost the last 3 years. Fun fact: Mr. Pompa went to MHSHS. Initially, Mr. Pompa was going to go into broadcasting and law before he decided to remain a teacher. He always loved teaching students because he loved to work with them and inspire them to learn and do better. He always says that teaching chose him. That may be true. In his free time, Mr. Pompa likes to go dancing on the weekends, especially bachata. He also knows how to play the piano and guitar, and he loves fashion. We all agree that Mr. Pompa has an amazing sense of fashion. Mr. Pompa expects a few things from his students, including that they will treat school like a community and a second home. He hopes that they will respect each other, and he hopes that his students will push themselves to be better but that they are also fair to themselves. He wants them to know that he is here for any kind of help that they may need.
Ms. Bardach
Ms. Bardach has been a teacher for 10 years; this is her fourth year at MHSHS. When Ms. Bardach was younger, she referred to her teachers as brilliant and inspirational and acknowledged their role in influencing her. Growing up, she attended DOE schools, which served as another motivation for her to become a teacher for the DOE. Ms. Bardac’s hobbies are that she enjoys reading, walking, playing with her son, and trying out different restaurants in her leisure time. Ms. Bardach hopes that her students ought to have integrity, importance, and intuition. They should push themselves beyond their comfort zones and use what they read to critically analyze the worlds both inside and outside the novels.
Ms. Cordova
Ms. Cordova has been teaching for 13 years, all of those years focusing on English. She has only ever taught one year of eleventh grade and two sections of the tenth grade; however, she does prefer teaching ninth grade. Ms. Cordova never knew she would become an English teacher and only knew that she wanted to be an English major in college since she liked reading, writing, and helping others. She thought about writing for a magazine, as in her last year she had taken creative writing. Ms. Cordova enjoys reading YA realistic fiction and mystery as she can get through them faster and wants to be connected to her students, encouraging them to read. For example, if anyone reading this has read "They Both Die at the End" Ms. Cordova recommends "They First Die at the End". She also enjoys writing and is currently working on a book in the mystery genre. However, besides this, Ms. Cordova enjoys karaoke, mainly 90s pop and 80s rock such as Pink or the Beatles. She also enjoys baking cookies and banana muffins; when asked, Ms. Cordova reported that she would be a blueberry walnut muffin as she is "sweet and a little nutty". Ms. Cordova also has a puppy named Bailey, whom she enjoys cuddling. Ms. Cordova expects her students to try their best in order to meet her halfway. She also recommends journaling, blogging, or any sort of art form as a practice to get into writing.
Ms. Duhl has been teaching for an estimated 12 years. This is her very first year teaching on the MLK campus. She is the campus's speech instructor and works with all the schools that are on the MLK campus. Ms. Dhul's reason for becoming a teacher is her desire to help students improve their communication skills and develop skills that would help them throughout their lives. In her free time, Ms. Duhl claimed that she goes on and completes puzzles, exercises, and reads. Ms. Duhl stated that she hopes for her students to be on time and prepared, give their best effort, ask questions, learn from their mistakes, and speak up when required.
Ms. Duhl
History Department
Mr. Heinrich
Mr. Heinrich has been teaching for one year; this is his first year teaching, and last year he was helping teach the U.S. government on the Hunter College campus. Mr. Heinrich had gotten inspired to become a teacher because of the help he received from his high school history teacher, Mr. Hull, who helped him reach his full potential. Mr. Heinrich likes to spend time with his friends and family, read, watch movies,go on walks, travel, and watch way too much football. He has very high expectations for his students, but that's only because he has a high level of confidence in them. He believes that a student's ability or skill in any one learning area is fixed or "set in stone.". He wants to help students grow and support them in their journey to learn higher-level knowledge.
Ms. Moore
Ms. Moore has been a teacher for 19 years; this is her 18th year at MHSHS. As a history enthusiast, Ms. Moore was motivated to become a teacher. She wants to support and assist students so they may succeed in reading and writing and be prepared for college. Ms. Moore practices and learns flamenco dances in her spare time. Developed within the gitano subculture of the province of Andalusia, flamenco, in its strictest meaning, is an art form based on the many folklore music traditions of southern Spain. It also has a historical presence in Extremadura and Murcia. When it comes to reading, writing, and critical thinking, Ms. Moore expects the best from her students.
Mrs. Seneus
Mrs. Seneus has been teaching for four years, and this is her second year at MHSHS. She had always wanted to become a teacher since she was a little kid. She loved the idea of helping others and helping kids see that they have unique abilities and talents. She wanted to encourage them to see that there are other ways to be smart and do things. She likes listening to music, cooking, and hanging out with family and friends. She also likes to do arts and crafts. She always expects that her students try their best; she doesn't expect them to be perfect; she just wants to see them put in the effort.
Ms. Veras
Ms. Veras has been teaching for 6 years, three of those at MHSHS. Ms. Veras' love of learning served as an inspiration for her decision to become a teacher. For the growth and development of her students, she wants to provide a proper learning atmosphere for them. Ms. Veras enjoys dancing, reading, cooking, and traveling in her own time. Ms. Veras hopes that her students give it their all in class, show courtesy to one another, and bring positivity and good vibes to the classroom.