Adela Furman: Why the arts academy? Why come back as Principal?
Maryam Wardak: It’s a very special place, it almost feels like coming home after a long day. On top of that, it was a practical decision. Being the social studies head at CREC was an amazing experience, but it doesn’t feel like you are making an impact in the same way when you are in one building all day, every day.
AF: What is a Fulbright?
MW: It is a scholarship provided by the US Department of Education where they put you in a setting that is completely different from the one you currently reside in. I was teaching in East Hartford when I applied and was placed in a school in Scotland.
AF: Can you tell me a little more about your Fulbright experience?
MW: It was such a huge departure from where I was teaching in East Hartford, that on the first day, I stalled my car in the parking lot. I stalled it right on the main walkway where all the students, parents, and teachers were coming in for their first day. One of the French teachers had to drive my car into my parking lot while I had a breakdown in the passenger seat. She had to tell me to pull it together, and we became great friends after that.
AF: What was it like teaching in a different country?
MW: It was so different! In the US when it comes to our curriculum, we value breadth over depth. While in the UK, they get really deep into the material. There was also the added challenge of preparing my students for their GCSEs. (GCSEs are the exams students have to take and pass in order to continue learning the subject. They are typically taken in what we would consider our Freshman or Sophomore year.)
AF: What were your biggest takeaways from your experience?
MW: To never be closed to opportunities. When you stay open to new things coming into your life, it allows you to own those opportunities when they come. That mentality is what lead me back here, and I couldn’t be more grateful for it.
