Interviews

An Interview with Harmony Administrator 
Mrs. Tanwar

Reporters Le Hoang and Elizabeth Chaides
The Writers’ Block

Mrs. Tanwar is one of the administrators in Harmony Science Academy, Grand Prairie. Through an interview, we took a deeper look into her life and some of her general thoughts and beliefs.

Q1: Who is your role model?

A1: My mom. She grew up dirt poor and worked hard to get my sister and me into college so that we could do what we needed to do.

Q2: What experience determined the life you live today?

A2: I think that everything from the college I’ve been to and the major I worked on to my job right now has determined the life I live today.

Q3: What is your job?

A3: I am in charge of Harmony’s Assessments and Special Programs. I administer all the STAAR tests, SAT tests, fundraisers, and so on.

Q4: Where did you complete your education?

A4: UT Austin.

Q5: When do you suggest people graduate?

A5: Well, the thing about my mom was that I could not get married until I finished college, so I wanted to finish college early. I finished my Bachelor’s Degree in three years and married my husband. I guess it was beneficial to us because we got to have more work experience and it helped us support our family.

Q6: Why did you choose to work at Harmony?

A6: I was working for big school districts, and it was ridiculous because often, the leaders of those districts have never taught in their lives. As a result, they never really knew how the teaching system worked, and everything was less personalized. What made it even less personalized was the fact that there were so many students. So, when I heard of Harmony, I though it would be a better place for me because the student population was smaller, so I get to work with all the students and know them better. It also allows me to work with a wider range of students. When I was in the big districts, my working was confined to the smaller elementary grades, but in Harmony, I could work with students from Kindergarten through 12^th grade.

Q7: How did you decide what major you wanted?

A7: When I went to college, the new experience gave me the chance to open up, so I went from being a quiet person to the outgoing, talkative one. I competed in UIL and performed for many things like stand-up comedy throughout my college years, and I really enjoyed it, so I decided to major in speech.

Q8: Do you think that society has changed in a positive way, a negative way, or not at all? Why?

A8: As a whole, I think society has changed in a positive way because there are so many options available that were not there before. With all the new technology, the younger people are becoming more open-minded and doing more things that were impossible for the past generation.

Q9: Has the economy affected you in any way? If not, why? If it did, how?

A9: I have been very lucky. It has not affected my family and me much at all because of the industry we are working in, which is teaching.

Q10: Has any legislative policy affected you in any way? If not, why? If any did, how?

A10: The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act has been difficult. It sounds great, but the problem is that people in control of the assessments don’t know what’s going on in all the schools. The program puts a lot of pressure on the schools by setting unrealistic goals and requirements.

Q11: Do you think that America’s educational system has deteriorated? Why and how?

A11: It has not deteriorated, but it is currently changing. A lot of people are trying to keep old teaching methods in which the teacher is often disconnected from the students. They only tell them what they need on the boards, assign work, and give grades. That should be changed. The new teaching methods, often in places like charter schools such as Harmony, allow the teacher to help and interact with the students more. These methods should be kept. I believe that people are currently working to establish these new teaching methods in more schools, so the educational system is gradually progressing.

English Writing

Gallagher

Reporter Miranda Rios

The Writers’ Block

An Interview with Mrs. Elias

I asked Mrs. Elias a couple of questions about her decisions on education and why she does what she does today.   

Me: What college/ university did you got to and what did you major in?

Mrs. Elias: Well, I attended Oklahoma State University for both undergraduate degrees in Microbiology and Biology and for my Master of Science Degrees in Microbiology and Molecular Genetics. And I also became an adjunct professor of epidemiology at the University of Michigan while I worked in the Virology department as the World Health Organizations North American influenza research laboratory manager and research associate

Me: Where were you born and how long have you lived in Texas?

Mrs. Elias: I was born and raised in Stillwater, Oklahoma and moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma for jr high and high school, went back to Stillwater for 8 years for college then lived in Ann Arbor, Michigan for 10 years before moving back south to Texas. I have been living in Texas for five years now.  

Me: What do you do and why do you do it?

Mrs. Elias: I am currently working as both a teacher at Harmony and a professor of Biology at Tarrant County College. I have the best of both worlds. I am pleased that I could return to Harmony because I love my students! You guys are beyond smart and are dedicated to your learning which makes my job easy.          

Me: In your opinion what makes you different from any other science teachers?

Mrs. Elias: I believe my real life research experiences, both in graduate school and working for the World Health Organization, have given me a greater ability to relay complex scientific information to my students. Most teachers do not have real world science research experiences to draw from. I can pull from those experiences and integrate that information into my classes and teach beyond the text book.