Miss Almira Kordic is the new English Language Learner (ELL) teacher at HHS. In for a surprise she’s been in the Hancock Place school District her whole life. She graduated in 2017.

“I went here for preschool to my senior year and then went to Missouri State University for four years and got my bachelors in elementary and education,” Kordic said. 

Kordic taught at the Elementary school for three years and saw the opportunity when the high school had opened a job offer. She is Bosnian and has siblings who struggled with English when coming here. 

“My ultimate goal is to work with ELL kids and teach English,” she said.

What inspired Kordic to become an ELL teacher is her siblings. They gave her motivation to help students that English isn’t their first language. She stated that she likes interacting with the students and helping them get through high school. 

“I just like connecting with the kids and giving them support,” Kordic said.  “I know [when] my siblings came from Bosnia to here … they really struggled in school, learning English and stuff. So that was always a motivation for me to help kids like them.” 

In addition to the lunch, Kordic said she likes the staff, and the kids are fun to be around. Kordic is currently the volleyball & soccer assistant coach and is facing many challenges in teaching her first year of ELL. 

“So my biggest challenge is learning what I don’t know yet and trying to be the best I can be in my job,” Kordic said. “Learning all the new stuff, new protocols and being in a new building.” 

Kordic enjoys traveling.  She has traveled to Bosnia to visit family.  She has also gone to Mexico and Belize on a mission trip and taught English at schools there. 

“While in Belize and Mexico, I loved learning about different cultures and meeting different people.” Kordic Said. “I loved going back to Bosnia to see my family and homeland. It is interesting to see where my parents grew up before they immigrated to America,” she said. 

Life outside of school for Kordic is pretty good, she says. She has a dog and says he’s her best friend and she likes going on walks with him. She also enjoys watching reality TV and spending time with her family. 

Kordic says, “My favorite reality shows are The Bachelor or Love Island. Both are so easy to get into.”