Solmaaz Yazdiha

Solmaaz Yazdiha teaches 9th and 12th grade English at the high school. Prior to Brookline, she taught in New York City and Belmont. She has skydived and dreams to visit every continent. Her idea of having a good life is to simply be happy.

What was your best moment of high school?

There are probably two, and they’re rooted to my extracurriculars. I was given a job as a columnist for the school newspaper. I had a monthly column that came out, and I actually developed a bit of a following in terms of my classmates. They would read what I wrote and talk to me about it, so that made me feel really wonderful. The other one would probably be our cheerleading squad, which was not the strongest squad in town; we kind of had a third place curse throughout high school. But senior year we won first place in states, so that was definitely a great experience.

How do you think your skills as a teacher help you in your real life or outside of school?

For a recent example, I was the maid of honor in a wedding, and I had to give a speech, and my experience in public speaking as a teacher definitely really helped me have the courage to do that and know what to say. So that definitely helps. I think you really can’t be an effective teacher if you’re not a social person, if you’re not pretty organized and if you’re not passionate.

What are some of your hobbies?

I love food. I love eating. I love going out to eat and trying to cook and trying to learn new recipes. I recently bought a kayak, so I’ve been trying to go kayaking more. I live close to a river that opens up to a lake, so I like to do that. And then travel. I love to travel so I try to make the most of my summers.

When you travel what’s one thing you try to do every time?

I try not to overplan and to sort of stumble upon things. I try to avoid the touristy spots as much as I can. There’s something about getting a taste for what a place is like and not getting this sugarcoated version of it. I think it is just more meaningful and more of a fulfilling experience.

What’s a tip you would give to get the most out of a book?

A tip I would give would be to enter the experience with an open mind; be willing to suspend your judgement. If you happen to know background information about the book or author going into it, put all that aside and just allow yourself to experience the story.