By Ketaki Tavan (V)
This year, Ms. Carol Mahida, who taught English in the Middle School last year, has taken on a new position in the Pingry community. In addition to teaching two sections of Form III English, She is now the Form III and IV Dean of Student Life in the Upper School.
Historically, Mr. Jake Ross has been the Dean of Student Life for Forms III-VI, but this year, the position has been split. “The younger and older groups have different needs,” said Ms. Mahida.
Ms. Mahida attended the University of South Carolina for her undergraduate degree, where she majored in English and minored in History. For graduate school, she attended Columbia University’s Teachers College and received a master’s degree in English Education. When asked about her college experience, Ms. Mahida said she “appreciated the freedom to explore who I was and what I wanted to do.”
While Ms. Mahida loved her college experience, she found her high school years to be even more formative than her college years. “I was an average student at a really large public high school, and in an environment like that, it’s easy to get lost in the shuffle. It wasn’t until I had two teachers that really saw me that I was able to learn what I was capable of,” Ms. Mahida said.
Because of her own high school experience, she commented, “what I love about working in a school environment is helping kids not fall through the cracks. I want to make sure that everyone has the opportunity to do what they want and to see what they’re capable of.”
When asked about her transition from the Pingry Middle to Upper School, Ms. Mahida said, “The Upper School is different from the Middle School in that students have reached a different maturity and skill level. Rather than teaching maturity and those skills, now I get to tap into the traits they have already developed and go deeper in conversation with students.”
Ms. Mahida was also drawn to the Upper School because of its significant female leadership. “It’s really exciting to see,” she said. “I have so many female role models that are incredible to watch and learn from.”
This year, Ms. Mahida thinks her biggest obstacle will be switching roles from teaching to being an administrator. “As a teacher, you’re guided by your classes, but as an administrator, you have to create your own schedule,” she said. “You have the time to plan and dream and help make goals for the school… it’s like being back in the learning stage, which is really humbling and exciting at the same time.”
When asked what she would like the school community to know, Ms. Mahida said, “Please introduce yourselves to me! I would to love learn more about everyone, and I’m always someone who will listen.”