Yen Nguyen and Lauryne Jean Joseph also contributed to this article.
Emma Penafiel is a new Environmental Science and Biology teacher at Malden High School. She started teaching this year and was previously a long-term substitute for one year in Peabody. She also worked in Environmental Consulting, until she wanted something different.
She has a strong passion for science, so when a job opportunity opened here at Malden High, she could not pass it up. So far, she’s adjusting well here at Malden High. Penafiel said she feels like she has a lot of support here at the school. She loves the students here and the students seem to love her too.
“Ms. Penafiel is nice, she’s on the calm side. She is good at keeping us entertained and giving breaks when she thinks we need it or when we do a lot of work,” freshman Jamilah Simbul expressed.
“She is an amazing teacher all around. She tries to get to know us as people and her class challenges us,” said freshman Alexis Lee.
She teaches all freshmen so the classrooms always feel alive and energetic. “What I like about the way she teaches is that she won’t hesitate to help you if you’re struggling,” Lillyanna Keogh, a freshman in Penafiel’s class conveyed.
Biology teacher Michael Berman said, “She is very open to hearing new ideas and seems willing to try a lot of different things.”
During her time here at MHS, Penafiel expressed her hopes of inspiring a love for science. “I hope to impart how important it is to care for our environment and make sure they understand at least some of our world,” said Penafiel. Our teachers here at MHS must have a passion and love for the subject they teach. It is also important that our teachers are student-centered.
