IHS Voice: What classes do you teach?

Ms. Dotzeva: I teach 2 classes of dance: dance 1 and advanced dance. I also teach 2 classes of PE: one freshman and one sophomore. 

IHS Voice: Why did you choose to teach dance and PE?

Ms. Dotzeva: Over the summer, I got a call asking me if I wanted to teach dance. And I accepted immediately because I really like teaching dance. I was exposed in the dance industry as a young athlete representing my country, Bulgaria. Dance was a huge part in our practice. I do have a daughter. She’s in seventh grade and she’s a full-time dancer. I’ve been traveling a lot with her so I’m currently very involved in the dance community. I’ve always dreamt of teaching dance if I was ever offered that opportunity. I transferred here to only teach PE, but they asked me to start teaching dance classes. I was very happy to teach dance and not only PE. I’m an athletic person, and it’s what I’ve done in my education as well. I was a former gymnast during my college years back in my country. My Masters degree was also related to sports. Because I love sports, I decided to teach PE. 

IHS Voice: Have you ever dreamt of teaching another subject or pursuing a different career?

Ms. Dotzeva: Right now, I teach exercise and fitness classes as well, but again, they’re related to sports and fitness. No. Teaching at school and teaching adults at night is pretty broad- it’s a lot. When you’re happy with whatever you’re doing, you don’t look for different things. Of course I like traveling and exploring different parts of the world, but obviously, I’m extremely happy with whatever I do. I don’t dream about being a lawyer. I’m absolutely happy because I’m doing what I wanted to do since I was younger. 

IHS Voice: How has your experience at Irvington been so far?

Ms. Dotzeva: So far I’ve been very happy. I love being here. I’ve been trying to transfer to a high school for quite a bit, specifically coming to Irvington. My son comes here and I have an idea about the dynamic and the vibe of Irvington. I really like what is happening here. Teaching high school kids has always been my thing. I was teaching elementary kids, very young kids, and they had their moms with them. It was very joyful and innocent, and I had so much fun. But like I said, I really wanted to coach high school just because of the opportunity to do a lot of things here; not only teaching, but also coaching for clubs and teams. 

IHS Voice: Since you were a former gymnast, do you think you’d like to be the Coach of Irvington’s Gymnastic Team? 

Ms. Dotzeva: I used to be a gymnast. Gymnastics is a huge family. My specialty was aerobic gymnastics, and I was a part of the national team for my country. I did coach here in the states, in one of the local clubs, Top Flight in Fremont. Maybe if they bring the program back, I will probably consider teaching the team. It’s something that I think I can help the Vikings with.