Zohreh Janinezhad, a short-term stand in for Honors Geometry and Precalculus teacher Marcy Kleinhenz, has gripped the hearts of a variety of students here at Solon High School. With positivity and an excitement for teaching, she has brought jokes and comedy into the classroom while also being a kind and relatable teacher to students.

Immigrating to the United States from Iran, Janinezhad finished her bachelor’s degree in mathematics at a university in Tehran, Iran and got her masters at John Carroll University.  As her students always inquire about her education in Iran, she was able to compare the atmospheres surrounding her schooling in Iran versus the United States.

“In Iran, there is a different culture than America concerning how students respond to teachers,” Janinezhad said. “In my home, students respect the teachers, and we are taught that our teachers are almost like our second parents. Our schools also did a really great job with our schooling because we always needed to memorize equations, and now that I look back on my education, I realize that they really focused on building the knowledge that we needed for our future. While as a teacher in the United States I  have noticed that teachers are not treated as second parents, and that certain aspect of respect isn’t there, but I always try to be as kind as I can.”

Although there is a small language barrier, as Janinezhad’s first language is Persian, she has expressed that SHS has made her feel appreciated and welcomed. While some of her students needed a bit more time to adapt to her accent, others picked up the instructions with ease.

“I think that the atmosphere of Solon is so friendly and diverse, although, I had one class that needed more time to adjust to my accent, but other than that I really love the school,” Janinezhad said. “Mathematics has always been a passion, so I hope that I teach it well. My father was a mathematician,  and he really inspired me, so I decided to follow in his footsteps.”

The overall character description of Janinezhad has been overall loving and generous.  A student of hers in Precalculus, SHS junior Mason Barkett, shared his adornment for his new mathematics teacher.

“I really like Ms. Janinezhad, I think that she has a great sense of humor, and she’s just a really easy-going teacher,” Barkett said. “It’s exciting to learn with her every day. She puts in a lot of effort to make her students successful, and although she doesn’t speak English fluently, I think she tries her best to try to speak as best as she can in the classroom as well as teach the whole class.”

SHS junior Erin Olbert, another Precalculus student of Janinezhad, said that although the teacher has a different teaching format than Kleinhenz,  the results are still the same. The amount of focus given by students in Janinezhad’s class  just needs to expand so students can understand the material better, and get positive results.

“She’s very understanding, and I really like that she’s always so helpful,” Olbert said. “If you  have any questions, she’ll willingly help you out. She’s always [in her classroom] in the morning too, so it really shows that she will go out of her way to help you understand the classwork.”

Janinezhad says that she strongly believes in education, as it may lead to the best in people if  they acquire as much knowledge as they can. She has also said that intelligence opens the mind, affecting the ways that people view certain situations. She is also a strong advocate for persistence and perseverance.

“Our interpretation about everything around us depends on the level of education and information that we have, I really think that what separates the society is our level of education,” Janinezhad said. “As for persistence, my husband and I tried five times to obtain our visa from Iran to go to America, and on the sixth time, we were finally able to get one. This just shows how not giving up is essential for the best results.”

Janinezhad is scheduled to leave SHS on Dec. 8 as Kleinhenz will soon be coming back from maternity leave, and although students miss Kleinhenz, some want to see Janinezhad stay at the school. Barkett is one of the students who expressed his opinions on the farewell.

“I really don’t want to see her go,” Barkett said. “I think that she has brought a lot of positivity to Solon, so of course I’ll be sad when she leaves. I just hope that she always remembers us and continues her  path to inspire and educate more and more kids.”