Lea Kotlinski

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Courtesy of Lea Kotlinski

Lea Kotlinski is a science teacher at Clague Middle School.

Satvika Ramanathan, Online Editor-in-Chief

Q.Can you tell me a little bit about yourself?

A.“I am a science educator, and teaching science is really important to me, but it’s not my entire life. I am also an athlete and I play a lot of different sports. I play tennis, volleyball, and Ultimate Frisbee. Those are the main ones, but I will play anything! I have a lot of different hobbies like Latin dancing, which I’ve been doing for years. I also like building furniture. I have a lot of different “building things” types of hobbies, so I think I’ve got a lot of different interests.”

Q.What is your favorite part of the school year so far?

A.“I’m not gonna lie, I like sleeping in a little bit more. But I think the other thing I really enjoy is having these longer 90-minute blocks, as annoying as they can be. I really get to talk to you guys more and connect with you more like we spend some time. We can talk for 20 or 30 minutes about random stuff before we even get into the science, so I really like making that connection.”

Q.What’s your favorite part of teaching in general?

A.“I like inspiring kids because I am so interested in the world around me. I think there are so many wonderful things that I can show them, like if my cell phone is made up of particular atoms, or how the constellations in the sky don’t look the same from all angles, or just the way the world works. I think that’s so fascinating, and I want to pass that interest on to my kids. And I think also helping kids be the best they can be with learning how to take care of themselves mentally and emotionally, that’s also very important to me. I ask myself how I can teach a child to become an adult.”

Q.What are some goals that you have for this year?

A.“A teaching goal I have is to get my grades done on time and faster. I’ve been struggling with that. A personal goal is that I would like to travel more. I’ve been kind of stuck for the last couple of years, around here and I’ve got some places I’d like to go to like I’m going to the east coast in the summer. A social goal I have is staying in touch with the people who are important to me.”

Q.What’s your favorite subject to teach?

A.“I like teaching physics a lot because there are so many parts to it. I like teaching math as well, and physics is a good way to incorporate science and math together. I also like that there are so many cool projects that you can do.”

Q.What’s your history with teaching?

A.“I’ve been at Clague for seven years. I never really wanted to become a full-time teacher, I just wanted to maybe be a part-time teacher forever. And then I got a long-term subbing assignment in Canton-Plymouth, and I taught Special Ed for a year, but I quit at the end of the year because it was not a good job – it was not a healthy place to be. After that, I got hired in by Mr. Carter at Clague the next year. So, I’ve been teaching for about eight years total.”