The 2018-2019 school year has began and there are many new faces among the faculty here at Hawthorne High School. In a first of a series of articles, The Clarion is proud to introduce Mrs. Redmerski, who is an English teacher here at Hawthorne High School…

CLARION: Tell us a little about yourself.

MRS. REDMERSKI: I grew up in Cedar Grove, New Jersey. Now, my husband and I live in Wayne. I have a one-year-old son named Robert; we call him Robbie. I am a dog person. I have a three and a half year old boxer named Tucker.

CLARION: What made you want to become a teacher?

MRS. REDMERSKI: I always loved being in the classroom. I was a very social kid, so I loved being in school. I had an amazing high school English teacher. She made me want to become an English teacher.

CLARION: What do you like to do when you’re not teaching?

MRS. REDMERSKI: When I am not teaching, I like to watch TV. I also like to spend quality time with my family.

CLARION: Where did you go to college?

MRS. REDMERSKI: I went to Montclair State University. I double majored in English and education. I graduated with honors. I am currently taking graduate courses through the Scranton University online program in Curriculum and Instruction. I have two courses left.

CLARION: Did you teach before? If so where?

MRS. REDMERSKI: This is my seventh year teaching. I taught for two years in Louisiana while my husband was in the military. Then, I taught for four years in the Northern Valley School District.

CLARION: What part of teaching are you looking forward to the most?

MRS. REDMERSKI: I am really looking forward to teaching Romeo and Juliet and Macbeth this year. I love teaching Shakespearean plays. I hope my students enjoy it as much as my students have enjoyed it in the past.

CLARION: Why did you want to teach in this district?

MRS. REDMERSKI: I wanted to teach in this district for many reasons. First, I felt very comfortable during my interview and my demo-lesson. I knew I would fit right it. Second, Hawthorne is known to be a very close-knit community. And third, Hawthorne is a lot shorter of a commute than my 40+ minute drive to Old Tappan.

CLARION: Tell us about your student teaching experience?

MRS. REDMERSKI: I had a great student teaching experience. I taught at West Orange High School. I had five freshman English classes. My cooperating teacher, Joseph Suriano, was very helpful. I learned a lot from him, as well as from my students. I was nominated for the student teacher of the year award.

CLARION: What were you like as a student?

MRS. REDMERSKI: In high school, I was a very talkative student. I was the student, who was always getting in trouble for talking while the teacher was talking. In college, I became a lot more focused. I completed all my work and always made sure to do my very best.

So there you have it: just a little inside scope of one of our new English teachers Mrs.Redmerski!