New Fluco math teacher Danna Djinigou has been working towards becoming an educator since her senior year of high school. She said she knew in her sophomore year that she wanted to teach choreography. She was in the men’s choir of her high school, and her choir teacher told her she would be an incredible teacher because of her skills. As a result, Djinigou got a spark that ignited her desire to be a teacher.

Before teaching at FCHS, Djinigou lived in Texas until she got out of college. She went to Texas Tech University and got a bachelor’s degree in Education with a concentration in Secondary Math. After college, she thought of relocating to Virginia since she had a lot of friends in the state.

These days, Djinigou teaches both Geometry and Algebra, although she said her favorite subject is Algebra. She also works alongside Dr. Kimberly Mayfield in teaching Geometry.

“It’s interesting working with a new teacher because you can forget how much you don’t know, and it can be challenging and rewarding learning through the days,” said Mayfield.

Djinigou said that although she has wanted to have a classroom of her own since high school, she is still trying to find her flow in class when students misbehave.

“Struggles I’ve had as a new teacher are definitely knowing when to put my foot down, but also not being a complete dictator in the classroom. It’s important to find the balance between being strict and being more relaxed, and still learning and trying to find a happy medium every day,” said Djinigou.

She said she does her best to be a very relaxed teacher, letting her students pick songs to listen to, and has questions of the day for students so they can get their brains rolling. She said she encourages students to push themselves daily.

“I like Ms. Djinigou and also like how chill she is in the classroom and how she does stuff in the class,” said freshman Noah Baber.