Mr. Mikulec's Teaching Journey Enters New Chapter

Photography by: Lia Rojos

In the world of IB at Hillsborough High School, very few teachers make a lasting impact on their students like Mr. Mikulec. As the AP European History teacher for all sophomores, he not only teaches his students the necessary curriculum for the course but also prepares them for the official International Baccalaureate program. Fresh out of college, his passion for exploring other cultures and learning about people of the past led him to his 25-year teaching career and his next feat as the IB History teacher starting the 2024-2025 school year. 

Mr. Mikuec’s love for history traces back to his childhood. As a kid his family traveled to several states over the summer break. Once he was older, he began traveling to other countries like Canada, Mexico, Morocco, and Italy. However, his favorite is England, a country he calls his “second home”. Since then, he has incorporated unusual tidbits of history he has learned from his travels into his lessons, “I think I made my lessons more interesting by having that information,” Mr. Mikulec said. These stories prompt lots of fun discussions with his students and get them interested in learning about Europe throughout the years. 

While he has always wanted to be a teacher, Mr. Mikulec had also considered becoming an architect. However, in the end, Mr. Mikulec believes teaching suited his work style better, “I don’t think I would get as much gratification as an architect because I like that positive feedback from the kids, or even negative feedback. I just like the feedback from the kids where like when I'm, teaching or something, there's a smile that comes to their face or they have like that little aha moment”. His ability to make the sometimes dull and dry content from the textbooks into information that gets his students thinking and seeking more answers results in his classes having the highest exam averages across the district.

But Mr. Mikuec’s teaching is not limited to the 90-minute blocks every other day. Like many teachers, his door is open to students most mornings and afternoons. Merely minutes after the doors open to the school, his room is full of chatter. While few of the kids are his current students looking to get their questions answered or turn in classwork, the majority are former students who enjoy talking to Mr. Mikulec and choose to hang out in his room rather than the cafeteria or H patio. Towards AP testing season, his room is also packed in the afternoon, except this time with his current sophomores, seeking guidance as they review for one of the first AP tests they will take in their high school careers. 

Alongside his open-door hours, Mr. Mikulec also invites his AP European History students to join him on a trip through Europe before their senior years. This is a tradition that he has continued for more than 20 years. “First, I started off in Mexico and then to Europe with the kids since 2000. And just me sharing my love of traveling, my experience with them is worthwhile. All the stress just goes away, just for them to see what they've learned in class,” Mr. Mikulec said. What many call the "Euro Trip", is something the students participating look forward to as they signed up during the beginning of their sophomore year. For most, it is a new experience traveling abroad without their parents, and even be their first time leaving the state. This summer Mr. Mikulec will be taking students from the current junior class to England, Switzerland, and a few other countries. Sadly, though, his last trip will be in 2025 with his current sophomores, as he will be teaching all the IB World History classes then.  

As he begins his transition into IB World History, following the retirement of the former teacher for the class, Mr. Mikulec says he is excited to be teaching the seniors since he had them before in tenth grade. The differences he has already seen while teaching his current IB World History class over the years, watching his students grow as people, makes the class worthwhile. While Mr. Mikulec will miss AP European History and the craziness of 500 years of content, he is pleased to be changing his role in Hillsborough’s IB program and teaching his former students one more time before they leave for the real world.