Remy Nikka is a new history teacher at WA who aims to promote kindness in her classroom and act as a role model for high schoolers. She encourages her students to respect one another, and she is looking forward to creating bonds with various members of the community.
Q: Do you have any hobbies?
A: I like antiquing. I like looking for weird things at antique stores, interesting historical items, or antique maps. I have a lot of antique maps at my house.
Q: What made you get into antiquing?
A: Well, I like history, so I feel like it’s cool to find an object that’s maybe not important in the sense that it’s George Washington’s pen, but [instead, in the sense that] it’s interesting and someone thought it was worth saving. I also cross-stitch and I do embroidery, I make little gifts for friends, and I play cello, that’s [my] other cool hobby.
Q: How long have you been playing cello?
A: I have played cello since fourth grade, and I’m still playing in an orchestra.
Q: Are there any co-workers who have been mentoring you? How have they helped you so far?
A: [Beth McGregor] has been awesome. She’s been showing me how to use PowerSchool because I didn’t use that at my old school. She’s also been showing me around, introducing me to people, and helping me get a sense of the building. She’s been great.
Q: Why did you pick Westford Academy?
A: Partially because of the Ghostwriter, actually. But when I was looking at the school as a whole, I saw that [everyone] had a dedication to academics and to learning and bettering [themselves] in a way that’s really impressive. I was reading the student newspaper – I like to do that before an interview – and I saw how in-depth all of the articles were and that you take it very seriously. And that, to me, showed what types of students WA students are.
Q: Have you worked at any other schools?
A: Yes, I taught at Melrose High School for three years and Melrose Middle School for a year before that.
Q: How would you say WA compares to your old schools?
A: It’s similar in a lot of ways, but not in others. […] I noticed that students here are incredibly polite. Not to say Melrose students aren’t polite, but the students are exceptionally polite here, and everyone says thank you when they walk out of a room and are, generally speaking, very kind to each other. It seems like everyone follows the rules for the most part, which maybe isn’t the case in other places.
Q: How long have you been teaching history?
A: This is going to be my fifth year. I have taught loads of things. I taught [Ancient Civilization], I’ve taught a civic special class, Intro to Law, U.S. History I, AP Economics, Honors Economics, and freshman studies. Before that, I was also a paralegal, I worked for the government. That’s why I teach law classes, because I have legal experience. That’s the cool thing about social sciences, it’s not just history, it’s also psychology and how people make decisions, and politics.
Q: What is your favorite grade to teach?
A: I think favorites are hard, [Different grades] all have pluses and minuses. I love seniors because we can have deep, real world conversations, but by the fourth quarter, they are so checked out and I don’t blame them, I’d be checked out too. At the same time, my seventh graders did crazy things. They were insane, but also they still had this wonder and curiosity, like an interest in learning, whereas maybe some older kids are a little more just here to get through school. So everyone has their pluses and minuses.
Q: What are some qualities that are important to you in a classroom and why?
A: I think respect is number one because we can’t function as a class and we can’t be honest with each other and be genuinely curious without respect. If you ask a question and other kids laugh because they think it’s a silly question, then you’re not going to want to ask another question. [After that,] I’d say kindness, I have a little motto on my wall, it says “Be kind to everyone, including yourself.” I think just giving each other grace and understanding that we’re all people and we’re all growing, [and] it’s all our first time being alive. Assume the best intentions, assume that people are not purposely trying to be mean.
