Like many rising juniors, I had heard about the horrors of AP Pre-Calculus. My friends who were a math class ahead would wave their thick stack of homework over my head as if it were to be my inevitable tragic ending. They would struggle to define what graphs were concave up and concave down right in front of me. Consequently, I dreaded my fate of sitting through my first AP math class. However, when I finally got my schedule, I couldn’t help but notice something a bit strange. “Hasa, Genci” appeared right above “Advanced Placement Pre-Calculus”, but there was no room number.
I walked past the infamous “Pre-Calc” hallway, as it was unknown to me that Mr. Hasa resided in a completely different section as the other teachers. I had no previous knowledge of this teacher. In fact, I had never even heard about him. Along with my fellow friends, we stepped into that class like we were walking into the unknown. One thing we would’ve never guessed though, is that Mr. Hasa would soon become one of our favorite teachers.
His humor, teaching style, and stories never failed to captivate us. We would even quote Mr. Hasa outside of the classroom. He was truly unlike any other teacher we had ever had, and his impact on us is everlasting. Nevertheless, there is much more to Mr. Hasa than being a great teacher.
Mr Hasa’s story begins almost 6000 miles away, in a European country located in the Balkans. Initially, Mr. Hasa had no aspirations to teach, despite his successes and high praise for his abilities. He felt as if the career was “too repetitive” and “required too much preparation outside of school.” Originally Mr. Hasa went to school in Albania with the intent of being a mechanical engineer. Mr Hasa attended the University of Tirana, a rigorous Albanian university, and got his degree (one of many) in mechanical engineering. Mr. Hasa lived during the Albanian communist era, and when that era came to an end in the 1990s the mechanical engineering field declined due to the large economic changes. This decline lead Mr. Hasa to make what some would call a large career shift. After training in England, Mr. Hasa became an air traffic controller for nearly 10 years.
Mr. Hasa then made another career change after moving to Canada due to his wife’s job. He was no longer able to continue being an air traffic controller, due to citizenship. There was a shortage of math teachers and so Mr. Hasa made what he considered at the time a “practical decision” to become a math teacher, only to be amazed at what he now believes is a “rewarding and meaningful career for him.” Years later in 2008, Mr. Hasa arrived in Dallas, Texas and began teaching math at multiple schools, one of them being Robert T. Hill Middle School, where he was awarded teacher of the year in 2014.
Over time, Mr. Hasa began finding more and more fulfillment in teaching. What was once a job to make ends meet, soon became a career that not only did Mr. Hasa excel at, it transformed into a part of his life he really valued. He found joy in helping students become confident in mathematics.
After being in the DISD for a while, Mr. Hasa applied for and received a position at the Judge Barefoot Sanders Law Magnet, where he was able to form meaningful connections with teachers and students alike. Mr. Hasa’s room may be a long walk from other Law classes, but his impact is felt throughout the Law Magnet, conveyed through his passion and willingness to help.
But what exactly brought our Albanian King to the Law Magnet, you may ask? Well, Mr. Hasa was drawn to the Law Magnet because of its strong academic culture and motivated students. He enjoys being part of a community where curiosity is encouraged, effort is valued, and students are constantly pushing themselves toward their goals. For him, there’s something special about teaching in a place where students not only care about their own growth but also uplift their peers around them.
I’ve made countless memories in Mr. Hasa’s Pre-Calc class that I still cherish to this day and as much as he likes to claim that no one likes him, he has truly left a lasting impact in the hearts of many at the Law Magnet. I personally could list a multitude of reasons as to why he is one of my favorite teachers but instead we took the time to ask our Law Magnet community what they love about Mr. Hasa.
“He has a good way to make everyone feel welcome. I also enjoy the way Hasa dresses and his fashion sense is very demure. I’ve seen few men rock a turtle like Mr. Hasa. “- Ms. Lee
“My favorite thing about Mr. Hasa is his humor.” – Karen Corpeno (current student)
“Mr. Hasa is a very generous man. “- Mr. Smeltzer
“Hasa has great dedication. When Mr. Feimester was a principal and told him to take stats he took undergrad stats classes to brush up on it.” – Mr. G
“I believe that he was a hard and mean teacher but sometimes you have to do that to get the job done. I really like that about him. My favorite memory was when he started rapping Snoop Dog in class and I also really liked his bald head” – Jeovani Alardin (former student)
“He’s a sweetheart, and I love to hear his travel stories from the summer. I love his tans and how his teeth are all nice and white like okay Hasa.” – Ms. Sikes
“He’s always very punctual and ready to work. He’s very good at giving students opportunities to show what they’ve learned.” – Principal Jones
“I would say my favorite thing about Mr. Hasa is how funny he is. He’s always saying we can sleep when we’re dead or that he is like 100 years old.” – Tania Ruvalcaba (current student)
