In room 274, a teacher sits at her desk. She may seem like a regular teacher to you, but she has a rich background and is ready to help students be the best versions of themselves. She is math teacher Helena Hodjatzadeh.
Hodjatzadeh always knew she wanted to be a teacher. Even from a young age, her heart was set on becoming a teacher. She said that her mother was an inspiration for this because her mother was a teacher too. “At that very early age, I remember, I have pictures of me teaching a class to my dolls and teddy bears,” Hodjatzadeh said.
Hodjatzadeh grew up in the Czech Republic, formerly known as Czechoslovakia. She had one brother who was five years older than her. Hodjatzadeh came to the United States in 1996 as an au pair to improve English. “Potentially I wanted to maybe go back to Czech Republic and teach English as a second language. And so, I came here to do that but stayed,” Hodjatzadeh said.
She went to a college called Masaryk University in her hometown of Brno. She double majored in math and biology and earned a master’s degree. The college is named after the first president of Czechoslovakia. “And I studied there to become a teacher of mathematics and biology.” Hoditzadeh said.
When Hodjatzadeh was looking for work for a visa, MCPS wouldn’t sponsor people. So she decided to look for a different job, and landed a job as a computer applications trainer. “For many years, I actually taught adults how to use computer applications…Because in the late ‘90s, early 2000s, a lot of people needed to learn how to do that because they didn’t learn it in school,” she said.
In her spare time, Hodjatzadeh likes to participate in creative hobbies. She likes to knit, crochet and do embroidery. She even has own Etsy shop where she has sold Christmas stockings.
In addition to her crafty hobbies, Hodjatzadeh likes to hike and travel. For travel, she usually goes to Europe to see her family, but would like to travel to other places as well. “There’s so many countries I would love to see. If I had to choose one…I would probably want to go to Galapagos Island,” Hodjatzadeh said.
Hodjatzadeh’s favorite part of being a teacher is seeing students do well. She likes to see them have a lightbulb moment where they truly understand the concepts. “Especially when they first think that they’re not good at the subject, and then they realize all it takes is, you know, one spark, and then you get it, and then you can do all of it right?” Hodjatzadeh said.
Even during her breaks from teaching during the school day, Hodjatzadeh always has her door open and is available to help students with what they need. “She’s really nice. She’s really sweet. She’s always open in lunch and advisory,” freshman Rayna Pirzada said.
During high school, math becomes more challenging. Hodjatzadeh wants to give students support and help them understand math better. “In high school, like the math becomes more interesting, it can also be a little bit harder than in other grades. So students probably will need more help or more support,” she said.
While students find her firm, they also find her reasonable and balanced in her teaching style. “She’s more strict but in a relaxed way. I mean she is very strict with kids being loud and interrupting her but her teaching style is a lot like I’m here to teach and that’s it – not my fault if you learn or not,” freshman Amanda Toscano said.
Hodjatzadeh wants students to excel in school and be the best they can be. She wants them to work hard and ask for help when they need it. “Hard work will get you much further than any kind of intelligence or talent that you were given. I would say, don’t give up…there’s always a way to solve almost everything,” she said.
