The salaries of Sayreville War Memorial High School employees may be on a public website, but their sacrifices and passion aren’t, so here’s your insight. You can use this to grow empathy, to find your interest in a specific position, or to just feed your curiosity.
He’ll Go Down in History
Starting off with your favorite, the teacher of the month, the tall history whiz, the “guy who sells chocolate”, the one and only…Mr. Cano.
For those who are unaware, Mr. Cano is a history teacher in room L204. Some may say he provides more than just history, though. He often has students venting to him or simply looking for a laugh.
He also serves as an Amazon delivery service, better known as Mattazon. All those fancy papers and staplers that your classes miraculously always have stocked? Give your thanks to Matthew Cano for taking time out of his day to supply them.
The name “Mattazon” is a result of Mr. Cano’s wittiness, mashing up Matthew and Amazon together. He says his wit comes naturally from his personality. I say it’s from the type of person he was in high school. Oftentimes the wittiest people are the ones that who have niche specialties and hobbies. And he was exactly that.
At Spotswood High School, Mr. Cano was a member of the National Honor Society, the community service club, and, of course, a history club. There’s actually a possibility that he would’ve never been your history teacher because in Rutgers, he majored in engineering for a short amount of time.
“Me and math are not friends. We’re never gonna be friends. Gimme an X, I’ll find it all day. But calc? Nope.” And that’s Mr. Cano’s summary of his engineering journey.
After coming to that realization, he switched to subbing at his high school. Observing classes from an outside point of view, he said he saw the “87 fires [teachers] are putting out at once,” and the light bulb went off when he first helped a student as a sub. Now he’s the teacher we all know and love.
But what is he doing off-duty? He claims to have a “suburban family life” consisting of “bringing [his] kids to soccer, ice hockey, [and] karate.” His favorite ice hockey team happens to be The Devils…all you Rangers fans can debate that with him later.
Make sure to catch him early, though, because his New Year’s resolution is to get to bed earlier. If you want to follow in Mr. Cano’s teaching footsteps, he says the school’s “Tomorrows Teachers” program is a great start.
Hometown Educator
You see her every morning peeking through classrooms but this isn’t just a leisurely stroll. Mrs. Zurawski and the rest of the admin crew are checking off a myriad of boxes.
“That quick ten-minute, fifteen-minute walk is probably the most important part of our day,” Mrs. Zurawski expressed.
They have a specific route that allows them to get through the entire school to take down flyers past date, catch up with each other’s schedules, ensure teachers are present in classrooms, and check if hoods are off and IDs on.
Don’t be intimidated by this, though, they have all been in your shoes before, especially Mrs. Zurawski. I don’t just mean a student. I mean a student in the Sayreville district. She attended Truman, as a fellow dolphin, then attended Sayreville middle and high school. In her senior year, she worked in the main office as a co-op student. After she got her credits at Middlesex, she began subbing and there began her path in education.
Mrs. Zurawski did what many deem impossible: majored in math. She got her Bachelor’s at Kean, then returned to Sayreville to teach. She was a math teacher for nine years, but once the vice principal position opened, she jumped for it. She claims she “wanted to have an impact outside of the classroom” to help when “students are having their worst day.”
She sees this frequently now with the advancement in social media. Back then, if you were having a problem at school, it would go away once you’re home. Now these problems follow you to your safe space. Back then, if you were having problems with one person, it stayed like that. Now these problems are broadcast with screenshots, messages, and videos.
“And I just think it’s harder to be a kid now. It’s harder to just have a good experience. If you make a mistake, it’s like almost everybody’s watching you, you’re under a microscope,” said Mrs. Zurawski.
Along with providing an emotional sanctuary for students, she’s also in charge of the master schedule, a crucial responsibility. From December until September she creates the schedule for the approximately 1,900 people in the building.
This tedious process is why schedule changes are inconvenient. But if you still decide to send that email request after learning this, at least make sure it is formatted correctly.
Mrs. Zurawski emphasizes personalizing emails instead of writing “to whom this may concern.” For example: Good morning [receiver’s name].
She also mentioned the abundance of emails she’s received with a paragraph in the subject. The subject is a preview of what your concerns entail. For example: Request for Schedule Change.
Moving on to the body of the email, this is where you write your paragraph. Mrs. Zurawski prefers it short and sweet in a professional manner.
Now, a bit that might not be as well-known is the signature. This goes right after your closing and includes your name and contact info. Now you know how to politely email your teachers, bosses, and coaches.
Join the “Tomorrow’s Teachers” program, another piece of advice Mrs. Zurawski offers, similar to Mr. Cano. If you’re pursuing the education field, this is a surefire way to gain experience.
Although Mrs. Zurawski has lived in Sayreville her whole life, she has traveled far and wide. Paris wasn’t her cup of tea, but she would go back to Switzerland in a second because of its beauty, cleanliness, and amazing food.
Despite this, nothing compares to home. After moving into a brand new house, her New Years resolution is to construct, paint, and decorate.
“Mommy, are we gonna make the house a home?” her two-and-a-half-year-old asks.
The effort employees put into keeping our school running is worth recognizing, and an act of gratitude can encourage the community.
