Teacher Spotlight: Dr. Kaveh Niazi
Dr. Niazi is a favorite in all of his classes, teaching both OHS and MSON students. Learn more about him below in Zaid Badiger's interview.
Pixel Journal: How did you decide to become a teacher?
Dr. Kaveh Niazi: When I decided to study history after some years as a technologist, I figured that I would be employed as a teacher. Indeed I have been teaching various subjects ever since I finished my graduate work back in 2011.
PJ: How is teaching at MSON different from teaching at OHS?
KN: They are very similar. The MSON course uses a slightly different platform than the OHS. Otherwise the teaching is virtually the same.
PJ: Why did you decide to teach Calculus specifically? What interests you about the subject?
KN: I was asked to teach calculus because that is what was needed by the department. Coincidentally I remember calculus as the first math class I truly enjoyed. I was blown away by the power concealed in the relatively small number of concepts. I am looking forward to teaching other math classes in the future. I am curious about teaching differential equations, because I remember enjoying that very much, as well, when I took it.
PJ: What is your favorite course to teach, and why?
KN: I am enjoying my courses this semester: calculus, problem solving, and Arabic. Each is an opportunity to learn new things from a group of bright and motivated students.
PJ: What does your life look like outside of school?
KN: I live in the Bay Area, where I grew up. So there is always a million things going on with friends and family. Having been away from the Bay Area for long periods I cherish the time I can spend here with people I enjoy spending time with.
PJ: Do you have a favorite book or movie? If so, why is it your favorite?
KN: My favorite movie is "Stand and Deliver" which chronicles the story of a calculus teacher, the late Jaime Escalante, in Los Angeles. The film has a social conscience and it reminds me also a bit of my own trajectory as a high school student. The tension that arises later in the film pits a bunch of bright students against the Educational Testing Service. It is not hard to be swept away by the drama. Regarding books, this is harder. My first encounter with the novel "One Hundred Years of Solitude" was unforgettable. I read this work in English. I also like short fiction, though I haven't done much recreational reading recently.
PJ: If you could visit any country in the world, where would you go and why?
KN: I would have like to have visited China of the 1980s. Also Afghanistan: I spent part of my childhood, two hours from the Iran-Afghanistan border. Not visiting this country was definitely a missed opportunity. I would have loved to have seen the Bamiyan statues and other important historic sites before they were destroyed by the political upheavals of the last 40 years.