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Brianna Medeiros ‘ 17 Associate Editor
Abington High School recently added a computer science class that introduces students to the world of computer programming , and Mr . Jayakumar is its teacher . This is Mr . " J ' s " second year teaching at AHS , and he is excited to introduce this subject to the school . "( Computer Science is ) a field where students can see the results of their effort in a relatively fast , fun and practical way ," said Mr . J during a recent interview . Students learn to write " code " that creates websites and games . " Students learn all the basic elements and then get to practice designing their own working creations ," said Mr . J . Mr . J ' s education helped prepare him to teach this class and as well as the mathematics classes he teaches at AHS and at the Frolio Middle School . He attended Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh , majoring in computer science . Carnegie Mellon is also where Randy
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Pausch taught computer science . Pausch , is known for his inspiring “ Last Lecture ,” delivered not long before he died of pancreatic cancer at age 47 in 2008 . Mr . J attended Carnegie Mellon while Pausch was teaching there , but unfortunately did not have him for any classes . Mr . J grew up in Pittsburgh where he attended Montour High School . In addition to playing soccer and being a member of the math team , Mr . J was also a peer tutor . It was then that he first became interested in teaching . In addition to computer science class , Mr . J teaches Algebra II & Trigonometry at the high school and Grade 7 math at the Frolio . He says he enjoys teaching computer science the most . And , given the opportunity , he would like to introduce a coding class at the middle school so the students could get early exposure to it . Mr . J became interested in computers at an early age . “ I started using |
my family ' s PC when I was about 5- years-old , and was amazed by everything it could do . Ever since then , I ' ve been fascinated by computers and have always enjoyed exploring how they work ,” said Mr . J . They say that if you enjoy what you do , then you have found success . Mr . J is successful because he enjoys teaching and finds it fulfilling compared to software engineering . Although he does enjoy both . " This year I ' ve been fortunate to be able to combine the two interests together by teaching a computer science class ." In his spare time Mr . J enjoys finding new shows on Netflix and Amazon Prime just like so many of us . He is also a big sports fan , especially baseball , hockey and football , and he is currently teaching himself the guitar .
Abington is lucky to have Mr . J sharing his passion and knowledge in school every day .
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Mr . Jayakumar ( GWG )
“ I ' ve been fortunate to be able to combine the two interests together by teaching a computer science class .”
Mr . Jayakumar
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before and went through the process already gives the newcomers hope . " I dream of becoming fluent by the time I graduate and then go to college ," said Alvares .
This experience is special for the student and the teacher . Ms . Despres teaches ELL at AHS . " As an ELL teacher , I learn so much from my students . Sometimes I feel like I learn more from them than they do from me . They have taught me about their native languages and cultures ," said Ms . Despres .
From the student ' s perspective , Carvalho Pinto thinks that the schooling in the U . S . is a good difference . " I like the different method of teaching , because here , the teacher interacts with the student and I didn ’ t have that
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in Brazil ," said Carvalho Pinto .
Leticia Da ' Silva ' 18 is an example of a student who was able to progress from knowing little to no English , to being fluent in English with help from the ELL program . She came to the U . S . when she was 14-years-old and only knew how to say " Hi ." Today , she is a junior with a full class schedule . She sets the standard for other ELL students to work towards . During a brief interview , she told us about her experience .
How much English did you know when you arrived ?
I knew how to say " Hi ."
How difficult was that for you ?
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It was so hard and scary . How did you cope ?
I listened to music and looked for the lyrics . I would look up the translation of the song , and that would help me a lot .
Were your ELL teachers helpful ?
Yes a lot , because they always did things to help me .
What are you most proud of at this point ?
I passed MCAS ( Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System ). And , with that , I can see how much progress I have made in almost three years in America .
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Ms . Despres and Ms . Scofano work with English Language Learners at AHS ( Staff )
“ I dream of becoming fluent by the time I graduate and then go to college .”
Matheus Alvarez ‘ 20
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