A mother, teacher, role model, wife–Mrs. Okladek has been teaching at Warren Hills for 24 years.
Known for her passion in biology and her dedication to students, Okladek is able to make biology engaging for all students. Okladek makes topics as real life as possible, something they can connect to in their everyday lives. Showing kids the everyday relevance of biology, teaching them the stages of mitosis and connecting that to cancer, “Maybe the kids don’t exactly understand mitosis but everybody knows someone with cancer and cancer is an issue with mitosis” Making real life connections and how it impacts students, family members, or friends.
But for Mrs. Okladek, her true joy comes not just from teaching content but from building rapport with her students reconnecting after years have passed. Kids that have graduated coming back to visit, receiving an email, or seeing someone, telling her how much the class has helped them in their future schooling or career. She explained how sometimes you are unaware of the impact you had on a student until later in life.
Besides teaching Okladek loves scuba diving/traveling, “I’ve been to more countries than states to scuba dive, different oceans, Pacific, Atlantic, Caribbean, Meridian Sea”
For. Okladek, the most important topics in biology students should know are how their body works, as it pertains to real life. Students should understand the interconnectedness of biology with all other topics with a relevance to their own lives, “Whether it’s how they choose to eat, what medicines or vaccines they choose to take or not, it gives them options and choices. Giving them enough knowledge that they are informed with what goes into their bodies” She says.
Okladek strives to help kids elevate certain pressures they’re under like fad diets, media consumption and politics within biology, “Politics are now playing a role in biology and I feel like kids need to be informed of how things work within their bodies and what things actually mean, words in the media that aren’t necessarily used correctly, somethings aren’t true from a biological standpoint.”
During the accidental lockdown in the 2021-2022 school year Okladek was cool, calm, but above all else compassionate. Treating students like people comforting and nurturing treating every student as if they were her own, “She asked us if we needed food or water and gave out her personal coffee mugs, snacks, granola bars. She was so kind and caring when we were all scared, she acted like everyone’s mom stepping in to care for everyone. The next day when everyone was still on edge she put on music, gave us a coloring sheet and let us know she was there to talk if we needed to.” Said one anonymous student who was in her room during the lockdown.
Her open door policy combined with giving every student a voice creates a welcoming atmosphere throughout her class, “I gravitate towards open minded people, look for change, embrace diversity, and see the world for what it could be versus what it has been” she says. Her legacy at Warren Hills is filled with compassion, connection, and curiosity, preparing students for tests and life.
