BY KARINA MATOS & ANNA DESOUZAKordowska teaching a class. Ola Kordowska may be new to the math department, but she is not new to Malden High School. Kordowska went from being a paraprofessional to a substitute math teacher for Cara Joyce, then back to paraprofessional when Joyce came back from maternity leave. Luckily “the school had an opening for Ms. Kordowska, which she fit[s] very nicely into because she loves kids and math, ” says Dana Brown. “[She] loves it,” Kordowska gushes, “[she] absolutely loves it.” She feels that, “Theres a really strong sense of community, everyone helps one another,” and that, “The teachers have been absolutely awesome, they’re such a huge help.” Before Kordowska even stepped foot into MHS, she had gone to Melrose High for high school. After high school, Kordowska, “went to several colleges, such as UMass Amherst, Suffolk University and Boston University and now [she’s] at Salem State University.” She is currently majoring in education at Salem State. Kordowska has also majored in economics and history at UMass, and also has a business degree from Suffolk. Teaching math is not the only thing Kordowska loves to do. Kordowska also enjoys to, “Hike, swim, garden during the summer time and talk about my dog who [she] is obsessed with.” Math being an important part of her life, her inspiration to begin teaching it came from, “several math teachers in high school, [she] specifically remember[s] [that] were role models for [her]. And it was just sort of their energy and their positive attitude and their passion for it that really resonated with [her].” Kordowska also feels very passionately about math and the joys of learning it. “Math is like a puzzle,” she explains, “[She] love[s] that feeling when it finally clicks, and you finally have figured it out.” That it why she loves teaching math to kids so much. “[She] think[s] it’s fun to solve different problems, and [she] think[s] its great when kids get satisfaction from solving a problem they had difficulty with.” Brown agrees that Kordowska is the right woman for the job, as he loves the fact that she is, “very hardworking, wants to learn, and she loves Malden." Even his first impression if her was that she was going to be a, "strong teacher." Although Kordowksa is excited for the future, she's not exactly sure what she wants to do next. “Well, I just got this job," she states thoughtfully, "which is such a big accomplishment." However, while not completely sure of any one thing she thinks her, "next accomplishment will be to master teaching.” While it is unclear what lies ahead for Kordowska, it is hoped that she will teach at MHS for many years to come.
