Hamidreza Majidi developed a love for math and started teaching it in his home country of Iran two decades ago. 

After a lengthy career in Iran’s capital city of Tehran, Majidi, 57, is now bringing his passion to Milwaukee as a corps member of Teach For America Milwaukee. Teach For America, or TFA, is a leadership development program that trains people to become educators and leaders in local communities across the country. 

‘A long, long process’

Majidi’s journey to teach in an American classroom began soon after he and his family arrived in the United States in 2013, following the lead of his brother who had lived here since 1974. 

Majidi settled in San Diego and initially enrolled in English as a second language classes at San Diego Miramar College to improve his English, driven by his dream of teaching in America. 

Despite having the necessary certification to teach in Iran, Majidi had to meet new requirements to teach in the U.S.

“I was a teacher in Tehran, and I knew I wanted to be a teacher, but I understood that to be a math teacher I needed to get a bachelor’s degree and a certificate,” Majidi said. “But I knew it was a long, long process.” 

Following his English as a second language classes, Majidi pursued an associate degree in applied math. During that time, he worked as a math tutor while studying, gaining experience that now helps him in the classroom. 

From there, he followed his daughter to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she was accepted to study physics. They both graduated in May, and Majidi started with Teach For America that summer. 

Now he is working as a math teacher at Milwaukee’s Carmen High School of Science and Technology- South campus, a charter school located at 1712 S. 32nd St.

Lessons learned outside the classroom

Majidi moved to America with his entire family in his mid-40s.  He said there were many times when he wanted to quit on his long journey to becoming a teacher in the U.S., but he learned the importance of patience and perseverance.

“I’m not very young. So imagine that being the head of the family, moving to the United States around age 45, it wasn’t easy to get to this point,” he said. “It was very hard. I had to support my family and there were financial issues. Just many, many different things.” 

Despite the challenges that came with pursuing his education and dreams of becoming a teacher, Majidi emphasized that his love of math and wanting others to love it too kept him going. 

“Someone told me that pressure made diamonds,” he said. ”It was an amazing statement for me. So the important thing that I learned is that if you are patient, follow your dreams, be flexible and keep going.” 

Two graduates, one family

Dorsa Majidi called her dad’s hard work exciting and unbelievable. 

“It’s not that I didn’t believe in him because I do,” she said. “But with personal hardships and working to provide and going to school, I just thought my dad would need more time.” 

But she said her father has always had an unwavering determination in everything he’s done. 

“He really cares about people and his passions, and when he is passionate about something, he puts all of himself into that thing whether it’s his family or school or his students,” she said. 

Bringing individuals like Majidi into communities and empowering them to be the best teachers that they can be is the main aim of Teach for America, said Michael Nguyen, executive director. 

“TFA recruits those who have leadership experience in their field and have alignment with TFA’s mission,” Nguyen said.  

Understanding culture

Majidi said he is taking everything he has learned into the classroom with him. 

“My first experience with math was terrible, so for a long time, I didn’t like it,” he said. “But I’ve learned it’s all in how you teach it. When you understand it, it feels great, and I want to find ways to make it enjoyable for students.” 

Majidi said it’s important to understand the different cultures and dynamics of the students he’s serving. 

“As teachers, we need to make ourselves familiar with the culture, because it is very important to the area you’re working,” he said. “Whether students are African American, Hispanic or Spanish, we need to know something about this culture before diving into that position.” 

For more information

For more information, visit the Teach For America website.

The Milwaukee Bucks vs New York Knicks matchup is one of nine games scheduled for Sunday. These are two of the best teams in the East. New York is third with a 25-14 record, while Milwaukee is fourth with a 20-16 record.

The two teams have played each other 233 times, with the Bucks holding a 125-108 lead. This will be their second game this season, with New York previously winning 116-94 on Nov. 8. Karl-Anthony Towns had 32 points and 11 rebounds for New York, while Milwaukee was led by Giannis Antetokounmpo’s 24 points.

Milwaukee Bucks vs New York Knicks game details and odds

The Milwaukee Bucks vs New York Knicks game is scheduled for 3 p.m. EST on Sunday, Jan. 12, at Madison Square Garden. The matchup will be broadcast locally on MSG FanDuel Sports Network – Wisconsin. Fans can also stream it live on NBA League Pass and FuboTV.

Moneyline: Bucks (+140) vs. Knicks (-165)

Spread: Bucks (+3.5) vs. Knicks (-3.5)

Total (O/U): Bucks -110 (o227) vs. Knicks -110 (u227)

Editor’s note: The odds could change close to the game. The odds listed were as per available information at the time of writing.

Milwaukee Bucks vs New York Knicks preview

The first time the two teams met, Milwaukee was struggling to get wins. However, the Bucks have turned their season around and should put up a much better fight Sunday. They have won three games on the trot and six out of their last 10.

Milwaukee last played the Orlando Magic on Friday and won 109-106. Giannis Antetokounmpo led the team with 41 points and 14 rebounds, while Damian Lillard had 29 points.

The Knicks have been more consistent but are coming off of a lopsided 126-101 loss at home to the OKC Thunder. Jalen Brunson led the team in scoring with 27 points, while Karl-Anthony Towns (23 points and 10 rebounds) and Josh Hart (16 points and 13 rebounds) had double-doubles.

While New York has been good in general, there’s reason for concern as it has lost four of its past five games. The only win in that period came against the Toronto Raptors.

Milwaukee Bucks vs New York Knicks betting props

Giannis Antetokounmpo’s points total is set at 29.5, which is under his season average of 31.7 points. New York hasn’t been as great defensively, so bet on the over.

KAT’s points total is set at 24.5. He has been a revelation since joining the Knicks and averages 25.3 points on the season. Expect a tough battle between Towns and Antetokounmpo, with the former just surpassing the 24.5-point mark.

Milwaukee Bucks vs New York Knicks prediction

The oddsmakers slightly favor New York to win at home. However, we expect the Bucks to have revenge in mind and get a win. This should be a fairly high-scoring game with the team total going past 227 points.

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MILWAUKEE – A Milwaukee man appeared in court Saturday on charges related to a pursuit that ended with a crash into a library construction site. 

What we know

Court records show 36-year-old Cameron Moore is charged with five felonies. A court commissioner described his actions as “a danger to the community.”

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“120 to 140 miles per hour on the freeway, on the public roadways passing people,” said Court Commissioner Katharine Kucharski. “We are all very lucky that nobody is…passed in this situation.”

Moore’s bond was set at $50,000 on Saturday. He is due back in court for a preliminary hearing next week.

The backstory

Sheriff’s deputies were monitoring a home near 2nd and Lloyd on Tuesday, Jan. 7. They were trying to locate the 36-year-old man, who was wanted for burglary and fleeing/eluding.

The man left the home and got into an SUV around 2:30 p.m. that afternoon. Detectives tried to pull the SUV over and, while it did briefly stop, it almost immediately took off.

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About a mile into the pursuit, the SUV ran a red light and slammed into a car at the intersection of MLK and Locust. It then careened into a library construction site. 

Nobody in the vehicles involved in the pursuit or crash was injured, according to authorities. A 23-year-ld construction worker inside the building reported leg pain; he was examined and cleared at the scene.