*Grade 5 Teacher*
By: BHS Staff Profiles
February 3, 2023
Chosen for this week’s Staff Spotlight is Mrs. Allison Cuiksa. Mrs. Cuiksa has been a teacher in the district since 2009. She started her teaching career in North Carolina and soon went on to teach in South Carolina. After teaching in the South, she then moved to Ohio where she taught in Columbus for a year and a half before finally moving to Cleveland to teach in the Brooklyn City School District. In her free time, Cuiksa can be found spending time with her daughters, her dogs, and her husband, or staying true to her favorite sport, soccer. As an avid soccer fanatic, Mrs. Cuiksa loves anything that has to do with soccer. She coaches soccer for a club called The Team Challenger Futbol Club where she also occasionally likes to play as well. A fun fact about Mrs. Cuiksa is that her favorite number is 10, and the digits on her alarm clock have to add up to 10.
Q: Where did you go to college and why did you choose that school?
A: “I went to Gardner Webb University in North Carolina. I chose that school partially because of my ability to have a pretty decent scholarship for soccer and also because of the strong education program they offer. You also can’t beat the weather.”
Q: How do you keep students engaged in your way of teaching?
A: “I like to try to make my class feel more like entertainment than necessarily having to sit and just do drills and skills. So, I like to have the kids interact; I like to try to be cool, even try to bring a couple of TikToks in every once in a while to draw their attention. Those types of things.”
Q: What do you enjoy most about teaching fifth grade?
A: “Fifth graders are independent, yet, they still have a good amount of innocence about them, so they typically care about their education, but they also can understand jokes and have a good time in class as well.”
Q: If you could choose any other subject to teach, what would it be?
A: “It would probably be physical education. I love being active, and I love getting kiddos to be active. I would love to teach my love of sports to them as well.”
Q: What is the most challenging part about being a teacher?
A: “I would say understanding that the kiddos have a lot going on in their own lives and making sure that they’re safe and secure here at school. Also, focus on learning and not worry so much about those outside factors.”
Q: What would you do if you had 15 minutes of fame?
A: “I would try to meet as many other famous people as I could because they would probably want to meet me, too.”
Q: If you could solve any problem in the world, what would it be?
A: “I would like to cure cancer just because it has touched people in my life. I would have loved to hang on to some of those family members a little longer.”
Q: You are at a make-your-own sundae bar. What toppings are you going with?
A: “I would go with Reese’s Pieces, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, and Peanut Butter Sauce. It’s amazing!”
Q: What is your favorite holiday?
A: “I would have to go with Christmas. Primarily because our family gets together to do a lot of family activities and events. One of the activities we do is we actually take a tour bus and go look at Christmas lights together.”
Q: What is your cultural background?
A: “So, I actually have a Spanish and Welsh background. My mom’s side is from Spain, and my dad’s side is from Wales.”
We greatly appreciated interviewing you, Mrs. Cuiksa. With two of our group members being a part of the Brooklyn soccer team, it is individuals like yourself who we look up to as we all share a love for soccer. Thank you for inspiring so many student-athletes.
THE RETURN OF THE EYE 