Why Teachers Chose iPrep
By Mia Clark, Sophomore at iPrep Academy
By Mia Clark, Sophomore at iPrep Academy
Following my last article about iPrep and Sports, this article delves into more of what makes iPrep a premier Magnet School in Miami Dade County Public Schools. According to School Choice and Parental Options, a Magnet is a specialized school where “students have the opportunity to experience the highest quality education, which will build on their personal and educational interests, strengths, and skills while encouraging academic excellence.” That being said, teachers at iPrep follow the model of the “specialized…high quality” and “encouraging excellence,” as they all aim to help students reach their full potential.
The iPrep teachers come from a wide variety of different experiences, locations, and skills. The unorthodox style of iPrep learning isn’t always the way of teachers, but most of the time, the teachers embrace the "iPrep" style. To understand “Why [each teacher joined] iPrep?” the most frequent answer was that they believe in the method and process of learning that is different from "traditional" high schools. And, the special camaraderie between students and teachers at this “academy” is a focal point in iPrep education: iPrep teaching creates bonds and long lasting experiences .
The iPrep teachers come from a wide variety of different experiences, locations, and skills. The unorthodox style of iPrep learning isn’t always the way of teachers, but most of the time, the teachers embrace the "iPrep" style. To understand “Why [each teacher joined] iPrep?” the most frequent answer was that they believe in the method and process of learning that is different from "traditional" high schools. And, the special camaraderie between students and teachers at this “academy” is a focal point in iPrep education: iPrep teaching creates bonds and long lasting experiences .
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MR. MAJOR
Mr. Major expresses that iPrep enables students a real chance to excel in higher learning: “Our democracy would literally fail if people are uneducated.” Mr. Major discovered iPrep by befriending Ms. Hauser, while completing a class for his Master’s Degree. Through her, he was exposed to innovative iPrep activities, and he wanted to be a part of it. What does Major like about teaching? Or why does he teach math? He emphasizes that teaching creates an opportunity to engage with and impact the future: “Math is a gateway subject,” and if he can help as many students get through that gateway then that’s a gratifying feeling. |
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MS. KELLER
Throughout her 30-year career, Keller has taught in multiple schools. Yet, when a colleague told her of an opening to work at iPrep, it was the fact that it is a Magnet School that piqued her interest. Her love for iPrep comes from collaborating with her coworkers and interacting with scholarly students, and she describes the curriculum as “cultivating and challenging.” She also mentions that club sponsorship and having great principals (administrators) are benefits to teaching at iPrep. If asked, “Why teach?” Ms. Keller would originally express “because I love literature and writing;” although, over the years it has simply evolved to “It's something that became part of me.” |
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MS. MESHINI
While she was teaching at Shenandoah Middle, Ms. Hankollari suggested that she should apply at iPrep. Meshini’s attraction to iPrep was the principal, the technology-based education, and the modest class sizes. When I asked her “Why teach at public school?” Ms.Meshini describes it as a calling: “It chooses you.” However, her ambition originated from a young age when she disciplined her stuffed (toys) students and kept them in order. Also, she explains that the desire to enlighten is “The relationships you get to build are the best part. You always remember the relationships or lessons from your teachers. Teaching is a calling and education extends beyond schooling.” Another key aspect is that Ms. Meshini believes that teaching keeps her learning. |
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MR. ARRISON
Mr. Arrison began his career as a Biologist dissecting dead manatees in Tampa, Florida. Due to some issues with his dissections on manatees and their causes of death, he switched to teaching.Before coming to iPrep, Mr. Arrison taught at St. Petersburg High School for 7 years. After that, he wanted a change and therefore moved to Miami. As a result, he applied to teach at iPrep. After some frustration, he decided he could do more “good” by teaching than just dismissing Biology. Arrison explains that his purpose for teaching is his love of Biology. He enjoys sharing his love for Biology, and the best way he could imagine was to do so in iPrep. |
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MS.MULLER
Ms. Muller has a tenacious spirit for teaching. She started teaching, mostly Seniors, at Killian for 14 years. While she had many colleagues at Killian, she was also familiar with the staff at iPrep, so she landed an interview. Along with her attraction to the progressive program at iPrep, she also considered iPrep as a place for her daughter to attend school. Other teachers such as Ms. Hankollari, Mr. Sultz, and herself, were all offered a position for themselves and their kids. The iPrep location is close to her home, and the philosophy of the school suits her expectations for how a school should educate, as year after year, she gets to build bonds and connections with her scholars. Muller describes the school's environment as it fluctuates in innovation and imaginative curriculum." Her process of planning lessons is “Can I do anything different and be innovative?” |
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MS. GELBER
When she was looking for a job, Ms.Gelber wanted to teach at a smaller school; she pictured working in a tight-knit community. Originally Ms. Gelber taught at Krop Senior High for 10 years, and then she heard about iPrep and their hybrid, blended curriculum. Ms.Gelber didn’t initially want to teach iPrep Social Studies, although she was fascinated by the innovative teaching program and the improved curriculum. Because of the difficulty in collaboration with teachers in a larger school (like Krop), she was delighted to collaborate with other teachers. They have “synergized lessons” and this has benefited the kids immensely. As told by Ms. Gelber, “I’m teaching U.S history about the Civil War, and Ms. Keller has her Juniors (same students) learn about Abraham Lincoln’s 'Second Inaugural Address'.” Gelber explains that both lessons are relevant and concurrent, and they maximize the students' understanding and skills of the larger lesson by coordinating and reflecting on each other’s content. She’s always loved to learn, and enjoyed the journey of learning with her students. Ms. Gelber describes teaching as, “It's great to expand your mind and think of things in new ways.” She loves history and politics which is mostly what she teaches. She also likes educating students in high school who are almost fully formed adults, giving more freedom and opportunity to have meaningful and high level discussion. |
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MR. SULTZ
Mr. Sultz first career was a banker. He was discontent and needed a change of careers. When he studied Social Science in college he was unsure how he would apply his degree, but he found his purpose at iPrep. He originally transferred to teaching at Turner Tech for 17 years, and then his wife (Mr. Hauser) suggested working at iPrep. He wanted to be a part of something new and work where his children attended. He felt that it was a lateral move but was willing to explore the experience. Mr.Sultz has an infinite passion for social science, history, and public relations. The fascination in human behavior and economics was more than enough to pursue his love of teaching: “I teach because I feel like to work with young people and education is one thing you can never take away from someone, I can impact a lot of lives through education.” |
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From my interview with teachers, I learned that teaching is not only an enlightening experience for me, but also for my educators. Teaching is a very fulfilling career; they all know that they impact students' lives by guiding their development. The passion and determination of my teachers inspires me to be just as ambitious and tenacious about learning as they are; I feel my basic human right to an excellent education is fulfilled by the teachers at iPrep.
