by Reeham Choudhury

In her previous school, Indra Ong was a reading specialist and an Algebra 1 teacher. At the high school, she teaches three Algebra 1 classes, a senior writing course and special education. Ong also works in a program called the LAHB (Language Home Base Program).

So, how do you like Brookline High so far?

I love it. It’s pretty different than my last school, but there’s a ton of energy here. The kids have been great, and the staff have been amazing, so it’s a really great place to be working.

So, other than that, would you say that Brookline High is better or worse?

There’s definitely a different vibe. Brookline has a lot of energy. I’ve never seen so many people doing so much stuff all day long. Everybody’s always doing something which is really cool.

So, let’s get a little more personal. What are your hobbies and how do you like to spend your free time?

I love cooking. I actually spent this past summer in Italy working as a cook and archeological excavation. I like to ski a lot.

You said that you worked at a different school before Brookline High. And how was that?

It was great. But even in just the couple of weeks that I’ve been at Brookline, I’ve seen how invested everybody is in this school: teachers, parents, administrators and students. Everyone’s really working together here.

As I’ve heard, you’re a special education. teacher. What is that like?

What I like about it is that it’s kind of like problem solving. I have different students with different learning profiles. And you know, there is no “one right way to learn.” So it’s really cool to take someone’s learning profile, whether they’re in Spec. Ed. or not, and think about the best ways to tail our curriculum, or to tail instructions to fit their needs. That’s what I’d say is a pretty cool part of my job.

Can you tell me a bit about the LAHB program that you work in?

That’s the “Language Home Base Program,” and that’s for students with language based learning disabilities. They have a specific profile where we’re working to really help highlight and emphasize language instruction within all content areas.

So they just don’t know English?

It’s more like language processing than “English isn’t your first language.”

You also teach math. What are the similarities and differences between math and special education?

I don’t think they need to be separate things. I do think of them as very fluid. I think the strategies and the teaching techniques I use in my math class, I’ll definitely incorporate into the special education population I work with and vice versa.

Why do you teach special education?

I wanted to go into Spec. Ed. because I saw there were a lot of students with a ton of potential, and their potential wasn’t necessarily being reached because of a lack of opportunities. I really wanted to go into Spec. Ed. to find a way to help kids integrate into classrooms.

Reeham Choudhury can be contacted at [email protected]