by Aja Landolfi, staff reporter
What inspired you to become a teacher?
When I was in high school I was always a peer tutor. I always liked teaching my classmates, so it was like a natural thing. Plus teaching has its benefits too. When I went to school initially it was for math because I like to solve problems and because I wasn’t very good at it in school. I blamed my teachers for not being good in math so I wanted to make a difference and to do what they couldn’t do.
Why did you choose to teach this subject?
I chose Special Ed because I felt like I knew enough about math so why go back and learn about something I already knew? Instead, I decided to learn how to work with the kids who struggle in school and the kids who don’t.
How many years have you been a teacher?
I graduated from my undergrad in 2007 but I didn’t go into teaching right away. I worked as a learning center director for two and a half years trying to get a teaching job. Then I worked part time from 2010-2014, and this year is actually my first full time teaching job.
What teacher had impacted your life when you were in school?
It was actually one of my math teachers which is actually funny because I am certified in math but it has nothing to do with math though. To be honest I was one of those kids who would clown around in class, but he did not let me do that. He was very strict with me and I think that was actually good. He showed me how to act in a class. He was probably one of the first teachers that challenged me in that and I guess it helped out in the long run.
What makes you different from all the other teachers?
I feel like sometimes I think on a kid’s level. Obviously I can relate to an adult but I can relate with kids too. Sometimes I think like them but obviously I’m not like intellectually thinking like them, but I know what they’re thinking type thing.
What sacrifices have you made since becoming a teacher?
Since graduating college and trying to become a teacher, I’ve had almost five different jobs in the last seven years. Right now working here it takes me anywhere between an hour-two hours to get here and back.
Has being a teacher changed who you are? For better or for worse?
Definitely for the better. Well first of all, I’ve learned a lot about working with different people, meaning my peers, so other teachers. I learned that to be a good teacher you need to keep learning, and that the best way to learn is by getting ideas from others. Nobody wants a stagnant teacher meaning that they learn to do something one way and they stay that way for the rest of their lives teaching. To be a good teacher you need to be a good student [and] learn to be better organized and more patient.
What do you believe the ups and downs of being a teacher are?
When you teach something for a certain amount of time you get comfortable with it and then when you’re asked to teach something else you have to work outside your comfort zone. Plus education is always changing like the curriculum. Since I’ve been in high school the math curriculum has changed four times. So you have to roll with the punches and be flexible.
Have your students impacted you as a teacher?
Yes. One of my first jobs teaching, when I was teaching part time was in a district that was like the polar opposite to the school I grew up in. The first district I worked in was on the south shore and was mostly black/hispanic and like low socioeconomic. That’s where I learned that not every kid goes home to the same type of household and that’s where you learn that how they act in school is directly related to what they go home to afterwards. You keep in mind what they are going through outside the classroom while they’re in the classroom, because they may have bigger struggles than that test on Friday. So that’s definitely something I’ve learned from kids.
Do you have any secret talents? If so what are they?
I can juggle. I can also whistle and hum all at the same time.
