Mrs. Majka has taught at Saint Viator for 32 years, making her the longest serving Saint Viator teacher. She began her career here in the fall of 1990, after teaching at a school in Providence, R.I. Her husband worked at Wheeling High School, and she chose to move here and find a new job. Despite having the opportunity to work at other schools, Mrs. Majka chose to work at Viator after moving to Illinois because she “felt really comfortable here.”

Mrs. Majka teaches different areas of science, including physics and integrated science. Physics has played a key role in her life. Since she was young, Mrs. Majka has always been interested in the key concepts of physics. She loves how it can be applied to everything.

“During the wintertime, the coefficient of friction goes down, so drivers have to be careful on the road,” said Majka.

When she was a kid, one of her friends had a pool table, but, instead of playing pool, they “would set up incline planes and roll the balls down them.”

Mrs. Majka also expressed her love for the school community. She loves the kids that attend Saint Viator and has kept in contact with many former students. The greatest joy in her teaching is the ability to see these students grow and become mature adults. She has attended many former students’ weddings and has created many friendships with fellow teachers from every department in the building.

Many of the teachers that currently work at the school were her students: “Mr. Hynek, Mrs. Martin, Mr. Paolelli, Mr. Paprocki, Mr. Wilhite,” says Majka.

Many of Mrs. Majka’s students admire her and express the dedication she puts into her work.

“Mrs. Majka has expanded my understanding of physics in particular and taught me how a supportive class environment should be,” said Geo Andino, an AP Physics student.

Despite her lengthy employment at Saint Viator, Mrs. Majka does not plan on retiring after this year. She is happy to continue her amazing career at Viator and looks forward to educating and building connections with more groups of students.