Physical Education/Health

The biggest influence on my decision to become a teacher was the teachers that I had in elementary and high school that made learning so much fun. As a child, I would come home from school and play school. I would line up my dolls and start teaching them the lessons I learned that day. My other influence was my parents. My father came to this country from Poland. He would come home from work, have dinner, and then go to night school to learn English and a trade. I saw how important an education was to him in being able to get a better job so he could provide for his family. My mother was not able to finish high school. She talked about that quite often and she wanted to make sure that I graduated high school and moved on to college. She made it possible for me to further my education after my father left.

Early in my career, I was taught a valuable lesson by one of my students that I have never forgotten. I called a time out during a volleyball match and proceeded to tell my squad all the things that they were doing wrong. One of my players said to me "Do you have anything positive to say to us?" I never forgot that comment and it changed how I did my job. I try to create a positive classroom environment for all of my students, and I pride myself in being a lifelong learner who continuously modifies my classroom lessons to fit the needs of everyone in my class.

Personal Assistant

Stefanie Vargas has been a member of the Elizabeth Public Schools community since 2010 and is currently a personal assistant at Thomas A. Edison Career and Technical Academy.