Carter Beaumont

Shehu poses in the classroom he works in, room 309.

Since Jocelyn Forman went on maternity leave in March, Baruch’s 11th grade Algebra II and 12th grade Advanced Placement (AP) Calculus classes have been taken over by a teacher very unfamiliar to Baruchians.

His name is Kujtim Shehu and he hails from Tirana, Albania.  

Shehu moved to New York eight years ago, settling in Staten Island where he still resides. His commute to school lasts 40 minutes and is by bus.

“I wanted a better life for my kids,” he said. 

He attended University of Tirana and graduated in 1994. He majored in High School Mathematics Teaching. 

He has been a math teacher for 20 years and only learned English when he came to New York. Shehu has taught all types of high school math, from Algebra I to Calculus.

“I love math. I’ve loved math since I was in high school. I cannot separate [myself] from math.”

He also spoke about teaching AP Calculus and said, “I like teaching that class. I find it interesting.” 

Shehu taught at schools such as Nathan Strauss Middle School for six months and George Westinghouse High School in Brooklyn for two years before joining Baruch. He likes teaching the creative students of Baruch, as well as working with his co-teacher, Dawn Shum.

“Here, it’s easier to teach. I like Baruch so much, because I’ve worked at schools all across New York,” said Shehu. “This is definitely my favorite school.”  

He noticed some students in particular had a difficult time adjusting to his presence because they were used to Forman’s way of leading a classroom.

“We only did two units together. I wasn’t happy on the first test and the students’ scores because I tried to teach, and I failed,” he said.

Junior Jose Moreno, who takes Algebra II, said he enjoys Shehu’s teaching style.

“He does have a little bit of a different teaching style than Ms. Forman, but I like it more because it holds students more accountable. He knows a lot about the subjects that he teaches,” said Moreno.

Shehu is only licensed as a substitute teacher, however, due to his licensing issue from being a teacher in Albania. He has tried to get this issue resolved but has had trouble. He eventually hopes to be accepted into the Teaching Fellows program.

“I have a problem with my […] diploma. In Albania, Bachelor’s and Master’s are together. The grading is different. They gave me a 2.4 on my American GPA.”

He also mentioned his side hustle, his music career. 

“In Albania, I was a singer. All over the country they know me,” he said.

Shehu started singing in 1994, and has songs in Greek and Italian as well. Some of his music videos on YouTube have over 100,000 views. 

His music career took him all across Europe, including shows in Greece, Italy, Switzerland and Germany.

Moreno also commented on his teacher’s music career. 

“I was surprised. I didn’t know he was a singer until someone searched his name up. It’s kind of cool to be honest,” said Moreno.

Nowadays, Shehu also works a reception job at 3 World Trade Center on the weekends. 

“I’m a busy man. I don’t have much time to do music. I work seven days a week,” he said about his schedule.

When he’s not working, you can find him spending time with his family, including his two sons, and going to Florida for the summers.

Regardless of his hardships and struggles, Shehu keeps a positive attitude in his day to day. 

“I miss making music. I loved it, but I don’t have time anymore. But I love New York and everything that it’s given me. And I love math.”

He also said he doesn’t want to leave Baruch and hopes he can return next year. 

“I hope I can work here all year.”