Ilona Kusz

Middle School Math Teacher

Ilona taught in New York and Abu Dhabi before moving to Madrid in the summer of 2020. She enjoys hiking and running and has completed several marathons. She has two cats who were rescued from the streets of Abu Dhabi and at weekends she can be found unicycling in the Parque del Oeste.

What are you proudest of in your life?
I am most proud that my dream of teaching and living internationally has become real for me. When I was a kid, it seemed impossible to move abroad and live in a different city than New York. 

When did you know you wanted to be a teacher?
Junior year of high school.

Tell us the story of what brought you to Madrid?
I always wanted to live and work in Europe. After living in Abu Dhabi, I knew that I needed my next city to have normal temperatures that allowed me to spend more time outside. I spoke with past colleagues who moved to Madrid and the stories that they shared about this great city quickly moved Madrid to the top of my list! I applied for a Middle School math position and met with Mr. Nugent and Mr. Weinberg virtually, and I am so thankful that I was offered a position at ASM. 

What do you want students to take away from your class more than anything else?
I hope that my students learn to believe in themselves and are able to persevere through challenging tasks/situations with confidence rather than uncertainty. The most overused phrase in our math class is "just try". I share with my students that "just trying" is a great start to any task whether easy, medium, or difficult.