Ms. Muskaj, Lover of Languages

On September 9th, 2013, Frank Sinatra School of the Arts introduced eight new teachers into the building. Among the new teachers is Ms. Muskaj, one of two new English teachers in the department.

“I love language, language in general, not just English,” said Ms. Muskaj, with an articulated tone. But that’s simply the beginning to her persona; dancing, cooking and teaching, are her other passions and there seems to be so much more to Ms. Muskaj than a common love of English and literature.

Ms. Muskaj explains her reasons for choosing FSSA specifically. “It’s in the neighborhood. The student body and the building are both welcoming,” she explains with a smile.

As a teacher, she is delighted to find out that the students of FSSA are highly motivated and dedicated. The students have a genuine thirst for knowledge in which she likes to quench with her extensive knowledge of literature. She has a particular style of teaching: structuring and challenging the class as a whole. And on some occasions there are times when her students manage to surprise her.

“I have had very interesting conversations in classrooms with students because I had them do research, and they brought in very intriguing information about the books we’re reading: Huckleberry Finn and Frankenstein,” she recalled.

Overall, Ms. Muskaj would like her students to use their intelligence to contribute to something meaningful—to school and the communities they live in. Because not only does she want her students to improve in their language, she wants them to improve as people as well.

by Danbi Yu ’14