by Luna Zepeda (7th)
All about the best ELA teacher: Ms. Gondek
Ms. Gondek is a really nice and generous teacher, and she is one of my favorite ELA teachers! I chose to write about her because she is a really good teacher, and l wanted to know more about her as a person. I also love interacting with people, so this is another reason why l chose to write about a teacher here at CMS.
What is your favorite book?
My favorite book is A Song of a Whale. A Song of a Whale is about a girl named Iris, who is deaf and uses sign language to communicate with her family. She is the only deaf student in her school, so communicating with other people is hard. She learns about a whale named Blue 55 who does not sing on the same frequency as other whales. Iris understands how the whale is feeling, so Iris sets out to learn as much as she can about Blue 55.
What kind of genres do you like? Are there any genres you don’t love reading?
I like reading all genres of books. Science Fiction and Fantasy are not my favorite to read, but I do still read them.
Why did you choose to teach ELA instead of Math? What part of ELA do you like teaching?
I chose English Language Arts because I like reading, writing, and grammar. I also really love teaching English and reading to my students. Reading and English are very important in every part of a person's life, and I wanted to make sure that my students have the skills they need to be successful in their lives. Math has never been a strong subject for me, but I still learned all the basics. My favorite part of ELA is teaching grammar.
What was it like to teach in other schools? Why did you decide to teach here?
Before I came to Colonial Middle School, I worked in several other schools as a long-term substitute. I taught in elementary, middle, and high schools. I learned new skills and strategies being in many schools, so that when I got my own classroom, I used several of those ideas. I decided to come to Colonial Middle School because I worked as a long-term substitute in 8th grade ELA for a year and loved this building. There was a positive environment, the community of teachers were welcoming and fun, and the teachers all worked together as a family.
How has teaching changed for you over the years?
Teaching has changed over the last 25 years in so many ways. Technology plays a very significant role in our classrooms today, but when I first started teaching, this was not the case. Most of the work was in textbooks and worksheets. Another big difference since I started was that I taught reading, English, math, history, and science to the same students all day long. The kids did not move from class to class.
What are some things you like to do besides teaching?
I like to read when I am not teaching. I also like to go on hikes and walks with my dog, Roxy. I enjoy watching movies and playing different games with my friends and family.
Wow. It was really great to learn about Ms. Gondek. The biggest takeaway for me in this interview is why she loves to teach ELA. When she said, ¨l like to teach English and reading to my students," it made me feel awesome. It means a lot to me to learn to read better and to learn ELA, and Ms. Gondek makes it fun and interesting.