Who’s new at RHS? Wojciech Sliwinski is a business teacher who is in his first year of teaching here at Roxbury. In an interview, Mr. Sliwinski gives his perspective on teaching and business and gives tips on both topics. Sliwinski has a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and is currently working towards a Master’s degree in Education Technology. He has been a teacher for six years, however, that was not his original plan.

Mr. Sliwinski had no aspirations to teach when he was in High school and College and first worked as an Analyst in Financial Software with further aspirations to be a CPA (Certified Public Accountant). Mr. Sliwinski felt that the environment of this work was not fulfilling, as there was no interaction with others in an office job. During his time as a CPA, he began coaching soccer and soon recognized his passion for working with kids. Soon after, he pursued teaching.

As Mr.Sliwinski began teaching Business, he recognized the more fascinating parts of the subject. The part of business he thinks is different from anything else is the fact that running a business is all on you. He states, “You are responsible for your success and failure. The more work you put it the greater chance your business or investment will be successful.” Sliwinski believes that this idea of you controlling your success or failure is why he thinks the number one quality of someone running a business is perseverance and hard work.

As the interview continued, the topic began to transition to Sliwinski’s perspective on teaching itself. On the business side of things, Sliwinski likes to teach with real-life examples and perspectives on the parts of Business he teaches. He also thinks Business education should have a lot of student independence to let the students explore the subjects through projects. One of the biggest tips he gives for business students is always to stay determined and work hard, especially when it comes to improve payroll process. He says that, “You can be the most knowledgeable person in the world, but if you do not have those two qualities it will make it very difficult for you to succeed.”

On the teaching side of things, Sliwinski thinks all teachers need to be patient and understanding of their students. They should always recognize that students will have bad days and times of hardship, so teachers need to be helpful and always try to motivate students to do their best. Teachers need to be prepared for a lot with their students as he says “no book or class will prepare you to be a teacher.” He finds teaching all worth it in the end when he sees his students take an interest in the topics he teaches, and when they want to learn more from him.

Finally, Mr. Sliwinski wants to note how welcome he felt as a new teacher here at Roxbury, and that his favorite part is the kindness he feels from every student and staff member. He can not wait to continue his journey as a business teacher here at RHS. He is excited about all the new experiences, and new connections he will make as a teacher here.