Elementary Experience

How can we be sure that we will succeed in the future? What is the right course of action? Nobody can see into the future, and no one has the perfect answer. However, most people have the general idea that they must put their children through school in order to be educated parts of our society. When my parents enrolled me into PS 200, they put me into a special program called the Globe Program. This was for bilingual Russian children, most of whom just recently immigrated to the United States. My parents’ decision to enroll me into this program has had a tremendous impact on my life.
Throughout our twelve years in elementary school, junior high school, and high school, we come across many teachers, the majority of whom we probably were either indifferent to or we disliked. However, there is usually that one teacher whom you actually appreciated, and one, who you realize several years later, made a big impact on your future.
I had the privilege of being taught by such a teacher for four years of my life at PS 200. My class stuck together for all six years at PS 200 as a part of the Globe Program for bilingual students. Mrs. Maceczek was a Russian teacher who prepared us for the rigors that awaited us in junior high school and even high school. Compared to the other students in the school, we were handling much more complex material and learning it at a faster pace. Also, as an addition to the city requirements, we learned Russian language and literature. Discipline was also heavily enforced. I remember times when I would not like going to school because I would get a lot of homework and we would get reprimanded for fooling around. At some points during the year, schoolwork was actually becoming difficult to stay on track with.
Besides being adept at math and English, Mrs. Maceczek believed in the importance of cultural education from a very young age. She often took us on trips to theatres and ballets. I remember watching Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker” ballet, listening to Beethoven’s “Symphony No.9”, and producing our own shows based on popular Broadway musicals.
Although a rigorous curriculum was certainly a focal point of the program, one of the most important aspects of Globe was that the class stuck together for all five years of elementary school. With the exception of one or two students who were either kicked out for poor performance or moved to a different borough, all of the students stayed together. To this day, I am a friend with some of the people from that graduation class. I met my best friend in the first grade of that school, and we later went on to Brooklyn Technical High School, and now we are both attending Baruch. There are other people whom I still keep in touch with. I feel like this program has helped me form and solidify tight friendships that I otherwise would not have been able to shape.
Now that I am a freshman at Baruch, I understand that those three years with Mrs. Maceczek in the Globe Program were what make school so much easier for me now. I see students around me suffering; trying to get all of their homework done, completing assignments, and trying not to fail exams. I believe that it was Mrs. Maceczek who instilled a sense of diligence, perseverance, and the desire to succeed in me and my fellow students, which will help me, achieve my goals in my adult life.