Interview with Mr. Verma

By. Prisha Verma

Hi there, I’m back with another interview this time featuring one of our newest math teachers - Mr. Verma!

Question: What is one word you would use to describe yourself?

Answer: Perseverant. I always work extremely hard to meet my own expectations, and I don’t give up on any of my students. My students can attest my nature.

Question: Tell us a little about yourself.

Answer: Where do I start? I am happily married and have two young daughters, who I love to spend time with. I like to read a good deal and I love to travel, take brisk walks and playing/watching sports. And of course, I am very passionate about teaching.

Question: How did you come to be a teacher at Nolan Ryan?

Answer: Before Nolan Ryan, I worked in HISD for 14 years and enjoyed working with all kinds of student population. But I wanted to move closer to my home, and I wanted to make a difference in the lives of kids in our own community, so when Mrs. Marquez offered me a high school math teaching position at Nolan Ryan, and I gladly accepted it.

Question: What job would you do if you weren’t a teacher?

Answer: Maybe an electrical engineer, because that was my profession before I became a teacher.

Question: Who are some people you admire?

Answer: I like hardworking and selfless people that have contributed to the welfare of people like Mother Teresa, Dr. M L King, and M.K. Gandhi. I also admire many sports personalities, and a fan of Rafael Nadal (a tennis player).

Question: What is your favorite quote?

Answer: “A dream does not become reality through magic. It takes sweat, determination and hard work” by Colin Powell.

Question: What are some challenges you find in teaching?

Answer: Sometimes, I find it hard to balance my work and my personal life. Most of the time, I end up doing more work at home than I spend with my family.

Question: What is the thing that keeps you going?

Answer: What keeps me going is when I see my students push themselves, learn, and enjoy math.

Question: Anything you would like our readers to know?

Answer: This is a message for my 8^th grade classes. There are times in high school when students take 4-6 AP classes and they think that they can’t do all their homework and they give up or lose confidence. The key to success in acing AP classes is to always make a schedule of things to do and do the best you can.

Well, that concludes the interview between myself and Mr. Verma. See you next time!