Throughout all of River Dell High school, one teacher stands out being full of inspiration and creativity: Mrs. Maczuga.
An English, drama, and public speaking teacher, Mrs. Maczuga has dedicated her career to nurturing the talents and confidence of her students in her public speaking and drama classes, while also teaching an English class and helping students become better writers overall.
One thing that she particularly loves about teaching her public speaking class is how rewarding it is. “This class lets me see my students grow and become more confident in their skills overtime, this is a great thing to watch,” she said.
She loves how she can directly see her students go from shy and introverted students who struggle speaking in front of big groups of people to become experienced and now feeling confident about speaking in front of big groups.
Another thing she loves about this class is how she can relate with the students. Although she does talk in front of classes every day, Mrs. Maczuga still struggles with public speaking. “Since I struggle with the same thing it makes it a lot easier.” She has sympathy for her students, and she understands how difficult it can be.
She particularly loves drama and plays, that is why she teaches a drama class. Her love for drama comes from a long time ago. When she was younger, her friend made her promise that she would try out for a role in a play because her friend saw her great potential.
As time went on and she earned a minor in theater in college. From then on, she was in a bunch of plays and acting positions.
Although she thought about pursuing a career in theater, she didn’t like the idea that she never knew what her next job would be.
So instead of that, she became an English teacher. “I get to use my love for acting everyday because when I’m teaching a class, I have to put on a show in front of a bunch of students.” She still gets to pursue her passion at work every day, which is one of the reasons why she loves her job so much.
She also teaches 10th Grade English. Although she’s taught other grades over the years she particularly loves teaching the 10th grade because she loves the books that we read. This is because they are mostly plays.
Overall, she really loves teaching and has great passion for her job. “I love all my classes, and I love teaching so much.”
