By: Jennifer Geng, Class II, and Tiffany Yam, Class II
On Thursday, December 5th of 2024, we had the pleasure of interviewing the head of the IB computer science department, Mr. Mohanlall.
Early Life
Mr. Mohanlall grew up in New York City, where he attended Grover Cleveland High School in Queens, and later, City College. Mr. Mohanlall found his love for computers and technology on his thirteenth birthday when he received his first computer as a gift, leading him to become very interested in how the technology worked. Throughout his teenage years, his love for computers grew stronger and it became his newfound passion. He “enjoyed taking apart computers and putting them back together” and whenever his technology encountered a problem, he “liked to fix it by [himself].” In his youth, Mr. Mohanlall worked on many projects of his own, including building and customizing his own computers, and programming an LED globe to show certain letters while rotating.
Mr. Mohanlall first started taking formal computer science classes in college. He went on to earn his bachelor’s degree in computer engineering at City College, and later his master’s degree in computer networking at Touro College. Originally, Mr. Mohanlall didn’t intend to become a teacher, and he initially worked as a technician at a company where he fixed computers and networking issues with routers. Mr. Mohanlall’s love of teaching was discovered while he was in the process of earning his master’s degree. In order to pay for his schooling, Mr. Mohanlall was forced to work two tutoring jobs. He tutored teens in subjects such as math and physics, and helped them study for the SAT. He also “helped students with their own robotics projects” for their computer classes.
Experience Working at TBLS
Although he had never anticipated being a high school teacher, Mr. Mohanlall spontaneously applied to a teaching program shortly after his second job. In 2021, amidst the disorder caused by COVID-19, he commenced his first year at The Brooklyn Latin School. He stated that this period was especially difficult due to a plethora of distancing restrictions and because students were adjusting to in-person learning, overall creating an environment that felt disorganized and chaotic.
Computer science was also making its debut in our school; therefore the curriculum was mostly outdated. Mr. Mohanlall noted that “it’s very different from English and Math courses because a large amount of online resources [for computer science] are intended for a college-level course.” Though it was a taxing process, he feels that he has finally formulated his ideal curriculum throughout the years. All of the improvements he has incorporated into his lessons are intended to aid students in their academic endeavors. Now that each topic “is being taught in an orderly fashion,” students have been performing significantly better on exams.
Mr. Mohanlall told us that he’s had a wonderful and enlightening experience at Brooklyn Latin thus far. The IB Computer Science course has expanded his own knowledge about machine learning, catering to his interest in robotics and programming.
Reflection
Despite the rapid technological advancements in his industry, he also mentioned some factors that he believes are causing the field to devolve. AI, he claimed, “has been out-sourcing many jobs and opportunities recently.” He reflected on the prestige associated with a career in computer science when he was growing up: “it used to be viewed as, generally, a desirable and opportunity-rich area of study.” Now, it has become a vigorously competitive hunt to secure a job with CS skills.
Mr. Mohanlall has always had a profound curiosity for computer science and all of its complex nuances. Therefore, he intends to continue pursuing a career in that field, combining his passion for teaching with his expertise.
Shits fire