November 28, 2022 by Natalie Rock (’23)
Meet Ms. Narkiewicz (Nark-o-witz), most commonly referred to as Nark or Ms. Nark!
Favorite Thanksgiving food?
Nark said, “Probably dessert. At my parents’ house, all of the desserts are in the garage so you just walk in and there is a table full of desserts. It’s incredible.” Out of all of those desserts, she said her mom’s homemade chocolate peanut butter fudge is probably her favorite.
What do you teach?
AP Physics
Where did you attend college? Likes? Dislikes?
Nark went to SUNY Stonybrook. Stonybrook holds a special place in her heart. She got involved in a variety of activities that included, among other things, research in an accelerator lab, a “women in STEM” program, and cheerleading. She loved her time there. Even with the vacancy of students during the weekend, because of the large commuter population, she always found ways to keep herself busy.
Is this what you planned to be doing when you started out in college? If not, what career did you originally plan on?
“Yes!” Nark answered this quickly. “I wanted to teach since I was 5.” Even at that young of an age, Nark was designing math worksheets for her sister to complete. She wanted to be a math teacher for a long time, but also had a passion for science. When she discovered physics, a class that fuses the two together, she fell in love. She said, “I love this. It explains the world around me. I use it every day.” She’s known that this was her destiny for a while. Nark said, “I went to school knowing I wanted to be a physics teacher.”
What are your hobbies outside of school?
If it’s outside, it’s a winner. Nark enjoys herself the most when she is outdoors, taking in the fresh air and soaking up the sun. She and her boyfriend love to mountain bike, hike, and go camping. Even in the winter, Nark finds ways to get outside. She loves to ski and snowshoe, so these upcoming months will not be a problem for her. On days she would rather stay indoors, she loves to do puzzles.
What does an ideal weekend look like to you?
Friday: Go out to dinner, and then go back home to relax and watch a movie.
Saturday: Sleep in! After Nark gets her beauty sleep, she likes to have a productive day. She gets whatever she needs to done, from cleaning to food preparation to grading.
Sunday: Sunday is Nark’s chill day. She may go outside and do some sort of activity. She said, “Or we may just do nothing… which I love doing.” Who can really blame her?
If a genie granted you 3 wishes right now, what would you wish for?
1) Completely revamp the education system in America. Nark said, “I don’t know how, but I feel like our education system fails so many kids.”
2) Billionaires are required to donate a good chunk of their fortune to solving the world’s problems.
3) Eat anything you want and not gain weight. She said, “I could eat all the pasta and chocolate in the world.”
How would people close to you describe you?
Nark answered “Positive, bubbly, sarcastic, compassionate, and generous.”
(As a past student of Nark’s I can verify this is true ☺)
What is something on your bucket list?
Back in 10th grade, Nark went to Spain through a foreign exchange program. She went to Spain for a week, and someone from Spain came to America for a week. She loved her time in Spain and hopes to go to Barcelona one day.
Why Barcelona?
Nark said, “There is a lot of really cool art and architecture, so I would want to see all of that.”
What is your biggest accomplishment?
Nark said, “Getting into The NYS Master Teacher Program. It validated a lot of my philosophies that I have in the classroom and gave me a lot of validation of myself as a teacher. It showed me I’m in the right spot, doing the right thing.” In simple terms, The NYS Master Teacher Program is a professional development program for STEM teachers all around NYS. They are given a stipend and 50 hours of extra professional development above what you have to do for New York state. Nark said, “It’s a chance to work with people around your region to improve student understanding, teaching, connections with the community, and become a better teacher.” She got in in February of this year!
What is one thing that your students don’t know about you?
After going speechless for a few minutes, Nark decided she is genuinely an open book. She said, “it’s tough because I’m pretty honest with my students.”
Additional things you want people to know:
Nark said, “I really love my job. I would say the students are the best part. I love and care about each and every one of my students. The kids that I see every day in my classroom are what makes the really hard days worth it. Yeah, I really like my job. I love it, I enjoy it, I’m passionate about it, I always want to improve. I really couldn’t imagine myself doing anything else.”