*Polaris PLTW Instructor / Engineering*
By: BHS Staff Profiles
November 8, 2024
Chosen for this week’s Staff Spotlight is Miss Ilona Jurewicz. This is currently her first year in the Brooklyn City Schools. Previously, she worked in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District as a teacher for eight years, and before that, she worked in the Animal Care field. She enjoys traveling to places that will teach her something new, growing plants, and rock climbing. Two fun facts about her is that she has climbed one of the Seven Summits (Mount Kilimanjaro), and she also bungee jumped into Victoria Falls.
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: “I love that I laugh every day, sometimes at students and sometimes with students. I do not think teenagers realize how funny they are.”
Q: What are your goals for the rest of this school year?
A: “Since it is my first year, I hope I get through the year with as much grace as possible because everything is new to me.”
Q: What or who inspired you to become an engineering teacher?
A: “It was all of my awesome teachers in high school. I had some great teachers who could take what they knew I was interested in and put it into what I did in class. The teachers who helped me shape my path were the ones who inspired me the most.”
Q: What is your biggest challenge as a high school teacher?
A: “Every day that I come into school, I have to make ‘judgment’ calls. When there is an issue with a student, I am the one who has to address it. I always try to be empathetic with that student and try to be fair.”
Q: What was your favorite memory/moment as a student?
A: “My favorite memory is how my French teacher was so invested in creating a classroom culture. I joined the French club at school and became an official in it. She created this little family that would just hang out in her classroom after school. I learned a lot of French because of this. Another thing I loved is that she would take us out to dinner at the end of the year.”
Q: What is the most significant life lesson ever taught to you?
A: “This is very specific to my personality, but I was taught that life is what happens at the other side of fear. Pushing through things that scare you, trying new things that intimidate you, and learning to go for it are essential things to living life to the fullest.”
Q: If you could go back 15 years and change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
A: “I wish I would have listened more to the people who are older than me. I should have taken more advice from them instead of thinking they were just talking.”
Q: What is the best season?
A: “Definitely Summer because I hate the cold. I like to think that everything is better when it is hot. It does not matter if it is rainy or cloudy.”
Thank you for letting us interview you, Miss Jurewicz. We wish you nothing but success throughout the rest of this school year. Keep climbing summits and being adventurous!
THE RETURN OF THE EYE 