Amidst the rush of teachers leaving after this school year, two stand out.  Math teacher Marika Jewczyn and science teacher Irfan Alibhai are not retiring, but leaving Brookline to begin their new lives as a married couple.

The couple met two years ago. Their relationship blossomed when, in September 2010, the couple became engaged.  Jewczyn and Alibhai were married just recently on April 23, 2011 after seven months of engagement.

The decision to leave came when Alibahi was accepted into, according to Jewczyn, an “intense” 12-month Master of Business Administration program at Queens University in Kingston, Ontario.

“Once we decided to get married, I decided that I would go with him and take the year off from teaching,” said Jewczyn of her decision to head north.

Although she is looking forward to her husband’s great opportunity, leaving her colleagues in the math department at the school is still difficult.

“They have been like family to me over the past six years and their guidance and support helped me immensely in my first years of teaching,” said Jewczyn of her workmates and friends.

Although Jewczyn is taking a year off from teaching while Alibhai completes his MBA program, she doesn’t see it as a vacation.

“I plan to use my time to learn some new things like Canadian geography, Swahili and new statistical software, and relearn some things I’ve forgotten from grad school,” said Jewczyn.

Jewczyn believes that the exciting adventure she and her husband are embarking on is for the best.  She is undecided as to whether she will return to Brookline after Alibhai’s program is complete and, along with learning new things, Jewczyn plans to take time to “decide whether or not I’ll come back to teaching or whether I want to try something new.”

Either way, Brookline is losing two great teachers, but as Jewczyn said, “life is an adventure,” and in the end, the risk will be worth it.