THE RETURN OF THE EYE

*Second Grade ELA Teacher*

By: BHS Staff Profiles 

November 21, 2022

Chosen for this week’s staff spotlight is Mrs. Susan Grodek. She has been a teacher since 2000. She taught as a Title One teacher for six years in the fourth grade, and for the rest of her career, she has taught and currently teaches second grade. In her free time, Mrs. Grodek loves to volunteer around the city of Brooklyn. When she is not volunteering, she is most definitely reading. Something you may not know about her is that she is on the Brooklyn City Council. 

Q: What important qualities are needed to be a successful teacher?

A: “You need to be patient, empathetic, and have a good base of knowledge of how people learn. You need to like working with people.”

Q: What is the most engaging lesson that you have taught so far?

A: “One of the things I like to do is start them with research projects. My favorite research project that we do is look up information on a polar animal, and the kids will make a google slide presentation about their polar animal. It’s really fun because they get so excited about the information they find online. I will hear lots of random animals.”

Q: How would you encourage parents to support their children’s education?

A: “It’s actually one of the good parts of the pandemic because we had to start really working with families a lot more than before. I think that’s continued because now, families expect to hear from me. Families are quicker to let me know what’s going on at home because that communication has been opened up.”

Q: What is the most rewarding aspect of teaching?

A: “Watching kids become readers. In second grade, they are still reading the beginning reader books, but by the end of second grade, they are reading chapter books, and that’s really fun to watch that grow.”

Q: How do you usually prepare for the first day of school?

A: “Look at what I did last year and decide what I want to keep and what I want to try that’s new. Right now, there are so many teachers online who share whether it’s blogs or things on Teacher Pay Teachers. Teachers just share, share, share.” 

Q: If you were a fictional character from your favorite movie or book, who might you choose?

A: “I’ve been reading a lot of historical fiction about WWII, and most of the stories have really strong female characters, and I never knew how important the females were in WWII. They were spies, codebreakers, people who worked in roles that were left over when the men went into war, and I would like to be one of those women. I don’t think I’m brave enough to be a spy, but I think I could be a codebreaker.”

Q: What are you most passionate about?

A: “I am passionate about my own children and the children here at Brooklyn. My own children are adults, but I’m still very passionate about their lives. I’m probably their biggest cheerleader. The children here in Brooklyn, I think I have more of an impact, but I’m also their cheerleader, too.”

Q: What challenges have you faced throughout your life?

A: “I’ve had two big challenges. The first was losing my mom to cancer; she was only 58-years-old, so that was a hard time for me. The second challenge has been helping my younger son graduate from college and getting settled into a job, settled into a house, and watching him go through that has been hard.”

Q: Do you work best alone or with a team? 

A: “I probably work best alone, but I like to think that I will share anything I’m good at with a team. I think I’m best at doing the work myself. One thing I’m not good at is coming up with ideas. I’m usually better at carrying out somebody else’s idea.”

Q: Where do you see yourself in five years?

A: “Most likely, still in room 240 starting to think about retirement and the next part of my life.”

Thank you Mrs. Grodek for giving us the opportunity to interview you. More importantly, thank you for your dedication to all of the students here in the Brooklyn City School District.

*Third Grade Teacher*

By: BHS Staff Profiles 

November 18, 2022

Chosen for this week’s Staff Spotlight is Ms. Samantha Green! She has now been a teacher at the Brooklyn School for two years. Aside from being a staff member, Ms. Green was in the Navy for four years. In her free time, she likes to read books, especially handheld books rather than using her Kindle or using a device to read; she enjoys the feeling of just being able to sit, read, and flip the pages. One thing that may interest you is that she has eaten the same breakfast item for the last 12 years: one Thomas’ Everything Bagel.

Q: What inspired you to become a teacher?

A: “My son. I was in college, and I wanted to become a forensic scientist. I wanted to learn everything about him and be the best mom I could be. I leaned more towards being a teacher.”

Q: What is it like teaching third grade?

A: “It can be fun but challenging at times. As a teacher, it’s always nice to get to see who they’re turning out to be, like the little person that they’re going to grow up to be. It’s also pretty cool to see them start coming into their own personalities and their own thoughts. But sometimes, it can be challenging just because the curriculum from second grade to third grade jumps quite a bit, and it’s also the first time that they take the state test, and they’re not used to the rigor that they have to start to adjust to. Just having to grow up in such a short amount of time can be very challenging for the students.”

Q: What are the pros and cons of being a teacher? 

A: “A pro would be being around kids. A con would be being around kids (just kidding); it’s always a pro. But sometimes, they forget that we’re here for them, especially when it’s an assignment or a subject that is maybe not their favorite. They think that you’re assigning stuff or showing them things, and they don’t realize the bigger picture that you’re trying to show them. They don’t see it, so they just think you’re just teaching this stuff just to be hard on them or for no reason when there’s really significance behind it. Another pro is being able to shape how the next generation is going to be. Another con is just all the testing; I think we test kids way too much.”

Q: What teaching methods do you like to use to help your students better understand what is being taught to them? 

A: “Hands-on-teaching is usually my favorite. Anything that they can do and be involved with is helpful. When they’re more engaged, it means less behavior issues. They’re more likely to master what’s being taught because they actually got to do it. It’s one thing to read about how to do something versus actually doing it yourself. Anything where I can bring things that are relatable to their life; for example, when I used to teach math and I taught fractions, I would bring in Hershey bars. They would be able to learn in a fun way and have the reward of eating them afterwards. Anything where we can do things and relate it to the things in their life now, I definitely think that helps them be able to master it and be interested; whereas, if they’re not interested, it’s just going to take that much longer for me to get to teach it and for them to learn it.”

Q: As a teacher, how do you deal with a stressful situation?

A: “Take deep breaths. When I used to teach preschool in Florida, one of the things I learned was called conscious discipline. It’s not so much on how to calm down the kids, but it’s more so for yourself as a teacher. As the teacher, the kids look to you for the climate in the classroom, so if I’m in a bad mood or I’m getting upset easily, they can feel my mood, and it’s going to affect the whole climate of the classroom. Just being able to remember that I need to self-regulate first, whether that be breathing techniques, counting backwards, or whatever it may be, remembering that I only get one snapshot of that child or whatever the behavior is, I might not know what might be happening at home that might be causing that behavior, so I always try to step back and think of the whole picture instead of just what I’m seeing.”

Q: How did being in the military shape you into the person you are today? 

A: “I think I was always a little OCD growing up. The military definitely shows you how to be even more structured, so I’m a very structured person in my personal life as well as in my classroom. I think that’s very helpful because kids, especially young kids, but also older kids tend to thrive on routine when you already know what to expect; that makes for a better classroom environment. Especially when you might have kids who have certain learning preferences or they might have things like ADHD or other learning disabilities, the routine and that structure is very helpful because it helps to stop anything that would normally mess up the day and help them to learn better. I definitely think that structure in the military helped. But also just being able to ‘put out fires quickly,’ obviously not literal fires but in the sense that you might be doing something different today than you were doing yesterday and something different tomorrow. Just being able to go with the flow and be flexible are definitely skills that you have to have in teaching.”

Q: Who is your biggest inspiration and why? 

A: “I wouldn’t say that I necessarily have an inspiration, but I have driving factors. My driving factors are my kids. A lot of people say that their inspiration is their parents or things like that. I had a really rough childhood, so I try to aspire to be the best parent I can be and try to make sure that my kids are successful, whether it’s my two kids at home or my classroom kids just because I know what it is to grow up in a situation being filled with poverty and many other additional factors. There’s a very diverse population here, and everyone comes from so many different backgrounds. I just try to use that as my inspiration to be better for my kids and be the best I can be so that the next generation is better off.”

Q: Describe what it was like to be in the military. 

A: “At the time, I enjoyed it. The travel was nice. But the job, the one I specifically worked at, was really difficult, especially for females. I was in a division where there were 200 men and only six women; a lot of times, the six of us would have to work twice or three times as hard as our male counterparts just because we were women. I was also small, so I always felt like I was always put in tight situations that were extremely dangerous. I was stationed on an aircraft carrier, and those are the biggest ships that the Navy has. What they do is they have F18’s and other different types of propeller planes, so when you’re out on the sea, we have four catapult tracks, and you have to hook up the plane to the catapult track, and then they have these things called jet blast deflectors that are just a giant wall that they put up because the F18’s have to go full power, and that is so the people behind don’t fall off the boat. So you have to hook up the plane to the catapult track, then the catapult track shoots them super fast so that at full blast, the pilot can be able to keep going. So because I was small, one of my jobs was to go under the plane as it was on full blast to hook up the plane to the catapult track. So things like that I did not enjoy! And, I also didn’t like how other people had so much control over my day-to-day activities. They really do own you for however long you choose to enlist. I don’t mind following directions and instructions, but when I’m being told when I have to go to sleep, that’s a problem. But it definitely made me the person I am today, so I don’t regret it. But if I could do it all over again, I would probably do things a little bit differently and go in as an officer instead of enlisting, but for the most part, it definitely made me stronger. At the time, those were challenges that I didn’t know if I was going to be able to meet; then, I was able to and that made me a stronger woman than I would’ve been without the experience.”

Q: If you had an all-expenses paid vacation to anywhere in the world, where would you go?

A: “I would like to go on a cruise ship that is as long as six months; it takes you all around the world. I want to travel everywhere; I love traveling. Actually, when I started teaching, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to be an elementary teacher or a high school social studies teacher. I love history like the Roman Empire and the Greek Tragedies. So just being able to go to places like Europe, I did do some traveling while I was in the military, but again, that was controlled. So without a doubt, it would definitely be cool to go on a six month cruise where you can stop at each place and just get to experience it all and have a good time.” 

Q: What is your favorite season? 

A: “I would say Fall mainly because of sweater weather, light jacket weather, and the different colors of the leaves falling and all of that good stuff. It’s usually not too cold and not too hot. I get angry when I get too hot, which is why I left Florida! Color wise, weather wise, all the pumpkin patches and hayrides, Halloween, it’s all just great!”

Thank you for letting us interview you, but most importantly, thank you for your service. It was such a pleasant experience getting to know you, and we wish you the best throughout the rest of this school year and beyond. Enjoy that daily bagel!

*Assistant Football Coach & Study Hall Monitor*

By: BHS Staff Profiles 

November 14, 2022

Chosen for this week’s first Staff Spotlight is Mr. Max Logterman. This year is his second year as a football coach in addition to his first year on staff at Brooklyn High School. Outside of school during his free time, he likes to hang out with friends as well as binge watch Netflix. Something interesting you may not know about Mr. Logterman is that he played college football at The University of Mount Union.

Q: Describe your college experience.

A: “The first college I went to was Mount Union for football. Then, I just got tired of doing sports, and I’ve always wanted to go to Ohio State, so I ended up transferring there to finish off school.”

Q: What is your favorite part about working with the students/athletes here at Brooklyn High School?

A: “Both the students and the staff have been great. Brooklyn is a small school, and that’s also been nice since it’s more of a community; whereas, in other bigger schools, you may not get the same opportunities to communicate or even get to know others.”

Q: What inspired you to become a football coach? 

A: “I’ve always loved the sport. When I was in college, I enjoyed playing it, but I was just done with it at the same time. I wanted to find a way to be around the game but in a different avenue than playing. An opportunity came up with my coaches at my old high school, and they needed someone as a coach, last minute. I kind of fell into coaching, but it worked out for the best in the end.” 

Q: What is your favorite part about Brooklyn High School so far?

A: “The people. The students entertain me, and the staff is great.”

Q: What is your dream occupation?

A: “I’d like to be an athletic director at a decently large high school.” 

Q: What is your #1 pet peeve?

A: “I cannot stand when people are lazy. Also, I get annoyed by messes.”

Q: What is your biggest regret, and how would you have gone about dealing with it differently?

A: “Trying a little harder in school so I could’ve received more scholarships.”

Q: How do you plan on spending your Thanksgiving break?

A: “Relaxing and watching Ohio State and Michigan play.”

Q: What is an unpopular opinion that you have?

A: “Wilt Chamberlain did not actually score 100 points in a game.”

Q: If you could have one superpower, what would it be?

A: “I’d like to teleport. I think it would be nice to be able to go from one place to another in a short period of time and not have to worry about flying or driving.”

Thank you for letting us interview you, Mr. Logterman. It was a pleasure getting to know you more throughout the interview. We wish you the best of luck this school year and beyond.

*School Nurse*

By: BHS Staff Profiles 

November 11, 2022

Chosen for this week’s Staff Spotlight is Mrs. Nancy Cutright. She has been here in the Brooklyn City School District for 22 years. She has helped with the  KATs program, she has been an influential classroom assistant, and now, she works in the clinic. In her free time, she loves to read along with spending time with her family and friends. Something you might not know about Mrs. Cutright is that she got to meet Omar Vizquel, former Cleveland Indians Gold Glove shortstop. 

Q: What made you want to become a school nurse?

A: “I still wanted to be able to work with kids. Since I was not able to be in the classroom anymore, I wanted to work with Mrs. Manley and Mrs. Beck.”

Q: What do you find rewarding in your job?

A: “Just being able to help the kids. Someone may come in, and they may not be sick; what I’m just going to ask is if they’re going to melt. Oh yeah, they’re just having a rough day, and they just need to come in and talk. Sometimes, they will rest for about 10-15 minutes then go back to class, and they feel a little bit better. They didn’t go home sick, but not everyone that comes in here is sick.”

Q: What does a typical day look like for you?

A: “I have regular kids that come in to take medication. Kids will come in and need ice packs or bandages, or they just could not feel well. We also do vision and hearing checks.” 

Q: What do you do to motivate yourself during challenging times?

A: “I talk to my friends. I have some very good friends who don’t tell me what I want to hear but what I need to hear. You want your friends to listen to you, but you also want them to be honest. I have some great friends, and that’s what they do for me. I can talk to them and tell them anything. 

Q: If you could choose any other career, what would you choose?

A: “I wanted to be a lawyer in high school, but right now, I keep telling everyone that since my niece is graduating and going for forensics, that’s what I want to do. I think it’s awesome and interesting.”

Q: If there is one thing you could do over, what would it be?

A: “I would go back to college but go away for school and live somewhere else. That’s what I would do all over again.”

Q: What do you like to do in your spare time?

A: “Hang out with friends, go to the movies, and read.”

Q: Do you have any pet peeves?

A: “One of my biggest pet peeves would be being disrespectful. It could be kids being disrespectful to others or adults being disrespectful to kids and each other. Another thing I hate is when people don’t use turn signals when they drive. 

Q: Do you have any career goals?

A: “Be a school nurse until I retire.”

Q: What is your greatest fear in life?

A: “If something would happen to one of my kids.”

Thank you for allowing us to talk to you, Mrs. Cutright. We are sure that working in the clinic has built up your immunity, and we hope that continues. Also, thank you for being selfless and for taking care of the students here at BHS.

*7th Grade Science Teacher*

By: BHS Staff Profiles 

November 4, 2022

Chosen for this week’s Staff Spotlight is Mr. Jacob Burko. This year is Mr. Burko’s first year in the Brooklyn City School District. Prior to teaching at Brooklyn, he spent two years teaching in another district, making this year his third in education, altogether. Outside of teaching, he likes to spend time with his family. Something you might not know about Mr. Burko is that he was bitten by a dolphin at SeaWorld when he was 12-years-old. 

Q: What is your favorite science lesson to teach?

A: “Physics! I love talking about the laws of physics. It’s very hands-on, and the kids get to do fun stuff like using little, toy cars. We also get to talk about velocity and momentum in ways that will keep the kids engaged by using references to sports. I like doing this unit towards the end of the year. It is a nice way to wrap up.” 

Q: What do you believe is the most rewarding aspect of teaching?

A: “Not even necessarily the light bulb moment but more so when the kids come in and they’re in a good mood, and we’re able to take five minutes or so away from the actual lesson and just talk about our personal lives. The kids at Brooklyn are very good at being able to walk that line between having a good time all while knowing that there is a time and place for it.”

Q: What lesson are you currently teaching, and how does it align with the real world?

A: “We’re talking about the water cycle. It aligns to the real world because we all use water. We’re talking about our water footprint right now and how much water a person uses per day as well as the things we use it for. We’re also talking about water conservation, water purification, and how not every state, or more importantly, not every country has the same access to fresh water and its effects. We are also talking about how water fuels our industry and how it fuels our economy. The water cycle definitely has real life application.”

Q: How do you go about helping a student who is struggling to understand a lesson?

A: “Meet with them one-on-one first and make accommodations accordingly to help.” 

Q: If you could solve any problem in the world, what would you choose? 

A: “Finding the cure for cancer. I feel like every year we don’t get as far as we think we’re going to get. Finding a cure for heart disease or any other disease or illness that takes a lot of lives per year.” 

Q: What was a time in your life when you were unsuccessful, and how did you move past it?

A: “The first time out of college, I didn’t get into the ideal teaching job I wanted. I got into a different one and that was kind of disappointing for me. But, it definitely taught me to be more organized and that life is full of opportunities, and there is a reason for everything. When one door closes another door opens.”  

Q: What is your biggest fear?

A: “Losing a family member. My family and I are super close. I call them all the time asking questions and asking for advice. If I were to lose one of my parents, that would be my biggest fear.”

Q: What is your favorite holiday?

A: “Halloween for sure. I love all the creepy horror and gothic stuff that comes with Halloween. If it could be Halloween all year long, that would be awesome!”

Q: What is the best piece of advice that you have ever received?  

A: “Don’t let the little things bother you because at the end of the day, things always have a way of working themselves out. Don’t get too distracted on the front end.” 

Thank you for allowing us to interview you, Mr. Burko. It was nice to learn your perspective as a science teacher. One question, though: A dolphin?