After dedicating years of compassion and kindness to our school, Mrs. Maslak prepares to start a new chapter in her life: retirement. As the school year comes to an end, Mrs. Maslak prepares to hang up her lanyard and say goodbye to the classroom and the kids whom she helped and inspired during her time here at Brewster High School.

With every ending, there was once a beginning. During Mrs. Maslak’s time in high school, she was presented with the opportunity to help out at a summer program designed for people with disabilities. It was here that Mrs. Maslak discovered her interest in the field of special education for younger students.

After high school, Mrs. Maslak enrolled at Queens College. This is where her teaching journey began. While studying at Queens College, Mrs. Maslak earned degrees in Education and Health Education. Following these massive accomplishments, she continued her studies at Adelphi, where she earned her degree in Special Education. During this time, Mrs. Maslak obtained a job as a first grade teacher at a local elementary school near Adelphi. After dedicating five years there, she made the decision to stop teaching for a short while and raise her family. This pause in her career carried on for 17 years. However, even during this pause, she didn’t stop doing what she could to spread her kindness, compassion, and inspiration to students. On the occasion, she taught using computer programs and she became a substitute teacher, leading her to our beloved Brewster High School in 1997. Everything went up from there. Three years later, Mrs. Maslak was hired as a full-time special education teacher here at the high school. She primarily provided her service here as a math ICT teacher.

In any career a person chooses, highlights are prone to happen, and memories will always be made. The highlights of a career depend heavily on the person experiencing them. After conducting an interview with Mrs. Maslak, I’ve learned the highlights from her career here at Brewster High School. Despite having a long list of them, Mrs. Maslak provided me with her top three. She stated, “Making a difference in the lives of my students. Helping career skills students become gainfully employed. Working to help students grow and develop as people and as learners.” You can see how much Mrs. Maslak valued her job and her students. Her compassion is shown in not only her person, but in her students and her job. Mrs. Maslak radiates with positivity, empathy, and kindness towards her students and colleagues. She always listens with her heart as well as her ears. She takes her time, being gentle and patient with every student who crosses her path. She always puts her best foot forward to understand the needs, learning styles, and emotional capacities of each and everyone of her students. She never stops advocating for her students, believing each one of them deserves to have a chance to grow and thrive in this world.

As her departure inches closer with every day that passes, Mrs. Maslak begins to reminisce about her memories and experiences within her time here. Mrs. Maslak says that she is going to miss “collaborating with colleagues to develop interesting and challenging lessons for my students” and “motivating students to reach their full potential, helping them discover their strengths and to overcome challenges” the most. As stated many times before, Mrs. Maslak is a kind, selfless educator in our school community. She takes pride in her students and their accomplishments and she enjoys working with her colleagues as not only work accomplices, but friends, too. However, not every aspect of any career is perfect, there’s always going to be parts of it that aren’t as lovable as the rest. For Mrs. Maslak, that was the struggle to stay on top of her school duties, which consisted of responding to emails, grading, lesson plans, and paperwork, on top of her personal life and the challenges that come along with that.

At school, it’s not only the students who learn things, but the teachers, too. In the beginning of teachers’ careers, they have to learn many things. Mrs. Maslak recalls some moments of her teaching career where she learned things from her students. She has grown to learn that having a sense of humor with her students really benefits them in many ways. They tend to feel more comfortable and relaxed, opening their minds to the knowledge you’re trying to teach them. When a teacher understands your strengths and weaknesses, it makes them feel seen, heard, and understood. These are feelings that many students don’t feel are directed towards themselves in a school setting. Another way students feel heard and appreciated is when a teacher gives them specific feedback on questions or comments they may present in class. When they receive this specific feedback, it makes them feel less alone for not understanding the subjects.

While on the subject of providing advice for new teachers, Mrs. Maslak provided me with an outstanding piece of advice for all new educators. She stated the following; “Keep things interesting for you and your students, Avoid becoming stagnant in your teaching. There is nothing worse than experiencing the monotony of the same lesson or approach. Try new ways of differentiating lessons to reach your students. Remember that there will be times when these new methods may not work. Don’t be discouraged. Administrators have been where you are now. They will understand if a different technique doesn’t work. Teaching is about being creative and adventurous. It is also about meeting the needs of your students. Come prepared with a plan but also be open and flexible throughout the lesson. Sometimes you have to adjust your plans.” I hope all of the teachers beginning their careers in teaching hear these wise words from Mrs. Maslak, an experienced, caring, loyal, dedicated teacher of our school.

Gearing away from her incredible life as a teacher, Mrs. Maslak’s life outside of school is really astonishing. She is a mother to three boys, all of which have grown to become medical doctors. Mrs. Maslak couldn’t be prouder of them and their accomplishments. In addition, she is an avid traveler, having traveled to all 50 states and 44 countries around the globe. After traveling all around the world, Mrs. Maslak highlights Alaska as one beautiful place. She describes it as “a place of natural beauty and vast wilderness.” Leaving the country, Mrs. Maslak suggests traveling to Italy, stating that it is “a place with ancient Roman ruins, Renaissance art, and vibrant cultural traditions.” Mrs. Maslak shares her experience in not only teaching, but in her hobby of traveling as well.

During her long, prosperous career, Mrs. Maslak has reached the hearts of many faculty and students in the Brewster High School. Although we are sad to see her go, the end is bittersweet as she begins to open the next chapter in her life. During her retirement, Mrs. Maslak is thrilled to spend more time with her grandchildren and experience new adventures during the golden years.

Bear Facts thanks Mrs. Maslak for her many years of caring and dedication. We wish her a happy retirement and plenty of time with her family!