As mentioned in the last “Get To Know Your Teacher” article, we have welcomed many new staff and students this year. The teachers featured in this article came out of college with a career that they didn’t intend on pursuing. Mrs. Perez, Mr. Brennan, Mrs. Barakat, and Mrs. Borger have all attended local colleges and have participated in some pretty interesting activities in high school.

Mrs. Perez   

Mrs. Perez grew up just outside of Gary Indiana and went to Thomas A. Edison Junior Senior High School. In high school she participated in many activities such as being in homecoming court, booster club, choir, theater, playing for the volleyball and tennis team, and being student council president and National Honor Society vice president. She also participated in band as a drum major for three years and Science Olympiad for two years. She also has two kids named Lucy and Max (named after Beatles songs) who are twelve and nine years old. Hobbies that Mrs. Perez enjoys doing include reading, and arts and crafts. Her goals are to get her masters degree and teachers license.

What do you teach?

 Special education

Where did you go to college?

 I went to Carthage College, majored in communications and digital media, and minored in religion. I wanted to be a sports broadcaster and ended up being a meeting planner for fifteen and a half years.

When did you start teaching?

 This year I love it. It runs in my blood. It’s a complete change from working in the corporate world. I enjoy coming to work every day.

Why did you decide to become a teacher?

Because I like working with kids and I especially like working with special education kids. I really enjoy the bond that you make with them. It’s fun to sit and talk with them, find out their interests and just help them. I initially wanted to go to college for teaching, but both my parents were teachers and said don’t do it. I didn’t and then here we are twenty years later.

Who is someone you look up to?

My parents. I call my mom every day. She was a history teacher for thirty five years in a middle school and my dad was a marketing education teacher for thirty two. So I call them every day and just ask their advice. It’s funny because I tell my kids at home this and I tell my school kids this all the time, there is absolutely no excuse for missing work. I say that all the time and I try to drill it into my kids’ heads here. That is definitely something my parents said and you know never give up, stick to your guns, you have to stand for something and just never back down, and I’m pretty stubborn that way.

How would you describe your experience working at Park High School so far?

I love it. I mean without hesitation I love it. Every day is different. You can’t make this stuff up; it keeps you on your toes. It’s my place. I’m glad. I’m happy. I love it. Homecoming was fun, I really enjoyed seeing everything, so I like that. My least favorite experience would probably be the lockdown because we had no idea what was going on so that was a little freaky. If they’ll have me, yes I absolutely see myself working here next year.

Mr. Brennen

Mr. Brennan went to Tremper High School on the south side of Kenosha. An activity he did during high school was play the violin in the golden strings where he would then go to concerts and play at cocktail parties. He also used to do competitive roller skating which included waltzes, tangos, fox trots, and ballroom dancing on roller skates. Nowadays, Mr. Brennan likes to read, relax and hang out with friends.

 What do you teach?

I teach special education, but I do have two tech classes of strategies which is learning different strategies on how to deal with stressors and different challenges that people face.

 Where did you go to college?

For my undergraduate degree, I went to Trinity International University down in Deerfield Illinois and for my Master of Education I went to Carthage. My bachelor’s is in Christian ministry and I thought at one point I was going to be working towards becoming a pastor, but education was a lot more intriguing and fit better for me.

When did you start teaching?

I started substitute teaching in February of 2015 and started taking classes to get my teaching certificate that summer. I started teaching full time in the two thousand fifteen and sixteen school years and don’t tell anyone it was at Bradford. First year was at Bradford and then after that I was at Mckinley for two years before they merged with Starbuck, so I was there for the last four years and now I’m here. My first thoughts were that this is more than I thought it was going to be but I love teaching, I love working with kids, seeing the lightbulb go on in their heads and excitement that kids have to finally learn something. I like working with people to help them realize what they want to do and help them get there.

Why did you decide to become a teacher?

 I always wanted to become a teacher. I remember even in, I think it was, first or second grade Mrs.Walker my english teacher at the time would ask what do you want to be when you grow up, and I said a teacher. I remember her saying “by the time you get done with school and everything that’ll be about the time that I want to retire so you can take my job”. Mr. Brennen had taught violin, roller skating, and swimming as he states “not well but they didn’t drown”. He was also a meeting planner prior to becoming a teacher.

 Who is someone you look up to?
Anyone that has a skill in an area that i’m interested in or is doing really well at something that I would want to get better at doing. If I’m able to have conversations with them I’d kind of study them but I don’t have any one in particular.

 How would you describe your experience working at Park High School so far?

Bigger kids, bigger excitement. Six years in middle school kids are a little bit smaller, and in high school everybody is aging and getting bigger. Challenges for the kids get bigger which means that there’s more excitement for the teachers and adults to help you guys learn how to deal with all of that, get through it and learn from it. Some of my favorite experiences are getting to see kids that I worked with in middle school in high school and how they’ve matured and have gotten over some of the challenges that they had in middle school.” Mr.Brennen does see himself working here next year and states that “that’s the plan.

Mrs. Barakat

Mrs.Barakat grew up just north of Madison in Waunakee where she attended Waunakee Community High School. In high school she played volleyball, softball, and was in the choir. Mrs. Barakat likes to spend her days playing with her seven month old daughter Layla, reading and being outdoors.

What do you teach?

I teach Geometric Thinking 1 and 2 and Resource.

Where did you go to college?

I went to Carthage College. I majored and got my degree in elementary education and special education.

When did you start teaching?

My first year was in 2013 at Starbuck Middle School, so that was where I taught for the last nine years. My first couple months of teaching I was like oh my gosh I get to do this and get paid, this is wonderful. Then after that it kind of set in and I was like oh my gosh this is way harder than I realized it was going to be.

Why did you decide to become a teacher?

My mom is a teacher. I have always been very similar to her, so I kind of wanted to follow in her footsteps. I wanted to be a special ed. teacher because in high school I volunteered for special olympics and during the summer my summer job was being an educational assistant to kids with special needs and I liked it.

Who is someone you look up to?

Definitely my mom just because I feel like we are very similar and she’s definitely still my best friend. She’s been my main role model for most of my life. She has always taught me to be empathetic of everybody around me so looking at their situation from their shoes and not thinking through my lens, and I think that’s helped me be a more caring teacher and empathize with my students.

How would you describe your experience working at Park High School so far?

I have loved it so far. It’s a lot less stressful than my previous job which gives me more time to think about my daughter and get home to play with her. I love working with the Special Education Department, everybody has been very welcoming, kind, and answers all my silly questions. I would say my favorite experience is teaching geometry just because it is something that I never taught before and it has made me remember things that I haven’t done since I was in high school. My least favorite experience is always paperwork, there’s a lot of paperwork in special education and so that’s always the thing that I hate the most, and it’s with any school you have to do that. Mrs. Barakat says that she “absolutely” sees herself working here next year.

Mrs. Borger

Mrs. Borger is a proud graduate of William Horlick High School. During high school she played bass clarinet and was a member of the dance team. She currently enjoys making handmade jewelry and sells them at craft fairs during the summer if given the opportunity. She also likes baking, dancing, and mostly enjoys spending time with her young children and family.

What do you teach?

 I teach Spanish 2, Spanish 3, and AP Spanish.

Where did you go to college?
I went to college at the University of Wisconsin – Parkside majoring in Spanish, and then I have a Master of Arts and Education and Professional Development. I actually walked into Parkside planning to become a math major and hoping to become a math teacher.

When did you start teaching?
I started teaching in two thousand and thirteen at S.C. Johnson Elementary. My first thoughts were I felt like I was in the right place and really excited. I was really happy as I am still doing what I enjoy.

Why did you decide to become a teacher?
I started out teaching dance to younger kids and I enjoyed doing that. When I danced professionally as a Milwaukee Bucks dancer I had the opportunity to work with young children that  would also perform at Bucks games. I also taught dance when I was in high school so when I didn’t have that opportunity I felt kind of bummed about it so when it was given back to me I realized that it was something I was passionate about.

Who is someone you look up to?
First and foremost I would like to say I always look up to Oprah and Michelle Obama. These are women that I idolize with because they represent me to a certain extent or are a representation that’s exemplified that I see. I would also say my mom, her hard work ethic is something that I always wish and long to have and I don’t think i’ll ever get to that point, but I would say those three. I would stick with the phrase that Obama would say, “they go low we go high”, that’s something I think that you can apply to any phase of your life at any time in your life.

 How would you describe your experience working at Park High School so far?
So far it has been so great. Everybody has been so kind, everybody has been so warm, welcoming and helpful so I really appreciate it. My favorite moment here has been being able to plan, having enough time to plan I would say is my favorite moment along with meeting all of the students and meeting new faces. I would say the least favorite would be watching students scroll through their phones. I hope I get to stay here, so far I’m enjoying it so hopefully I get to stay.