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Mrs. Dirda, an extremely valued teacher at AHS, has been teaching for 33 years. She has been a dedicated teacher to Aurora for many years and has brought so much to our school. “I started in 1991-1992 and have spent all of them working at AHS,” she says.
Before Mrs. Dirda started teaching at Aurora, she got her education at Bowling Green State University. “I earned my undergrad in comprehensive social studies at BGSU—class of 1990! I then earned my first master's in Educational Practices from Marygrove College and my second master's in Administration from the American College of Education,” she shared.
Teaching so long at Aurora will certainly foster great memories for anyone, especially someone like Mrs. Dirda. She is extremely involved at AHS and keeps herself busy with teaching three different courses. She states, “I am happy teaching at Aurora because the people here are awesome. I really like my students and have made many good friends with our staff.”
Mrs. Dirda says, “My favorite memories of being here at Aurora are from the sporting events, dances, plays and other events where students are able to get together and have fun and learn how to interact successfully with each other.”
This shows her immense appreciation, not only for the events that AHS has, but the students at the school. Being able to have fun at school is important for students, and teachers being able to see their students have fun is important as well.
Becoming a teacher is not something that happens randomly, and Mrs. Dirda clearly has a passion for it. She states, “I wanted to be a teacher because I really like working with people, I wanted to have children and be on a similar schedule, and school was always something I enjoyed.”
Mrs. Dirda has taught courses like AP psychology, AP human geography, sociology, and more. “The course that students seem to like the most is sociology, so that is my favorite,” she explains. Mrs. Dirda says her favorite subjects when she was in school were psychology and sociology, which explains why she continued to teach those subjects.
In high school, Mrs. Dirda actually attended Aurora, class of 1986. Reminiscing, she states, “It was a small-town experience, and I felt deeply connected to the people and places here. There were around 115 students in my graduating class and I knew them all, which helped us stay connected. I had a great experience, and have stated many times that there is no amount of money that would send me back to do it all over again!”
Mrs. Dirda is an amazing teacher, and one thing students may not know about her is that she almost didn’t become a teacher. “Students don't know that I almost didn't teach- I worked at Geauga Lake amusement park when I was in high school and college and they offered me a good full-time job before I had a teaching job. Also- I am an excellent cotton candy maker,” she disclosed. Being a good cotton candy maker is a skill only certain people can acquire, and AHS is lucky to have someone that can make cotton candy on the fly.
She continuously expresses how grateful she is for the opportunities she has had in her life and what she has made of them. She says, “At various times in my life different people have been hugely impactful. My family when I was younger, my friends that I chose in high school and college, my spouse, then my children, my colleagues and friends have all impacted me in measurable and significant ways as I have gone through life. I have been very lucky!”
Finally, Mrs. Dirda’s excellent advice is to “Be present and enjoy what's happening when you can. The only constant in life is change, so if you are doing great- enjoy it! If you are struggling, hang on! Things will change.”
Mrs. Dirda is a valued member of Aurora who cares deeply about all of her students. She is always willing to work with students outside of school hours to ensure they feel comfortable in their subject. She has always been incredibly grateful for her experiences and teaching at AHS.
By: Kelsey Krizansky
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