By Jayden Garcia
Q: How long have you been teaching?
A: “I've been teaching for a total of 22 years throughout Holyoke and Chicopee full time, and I also substituted for 3 years prior to that in Wilbraham. So, I've been in the field of education for 25 years total!”
Q: What is your opinion on YONDR?
A: “At the beginning, I was neutral on it due to the anxieties and well-spoken opinions students were expressing, but I supported it overall and went into it knowing I would do the same with full unity. After seeing the past 2 days of using YONDR, there have been more interactions between staff and students and more conversations overall, as well as fruitful classroom discussions between students and staff. It has been wonderful to be a part of. Through experiencing it, I'm 100% all in on YONDR."
Q: Is there an aspect of your job that you don't particularly enjoy? On the flipside of that coin, what do you most enjoy about your job?
A: "I definitely least enjoy all the paperwork. I most enjoy interactions with my students and even just random interactions with students while in the hallway on my duty throughout the building and helping students reach their goals.”
Q: Have you held any other jobs or careers outside of education?
A: “I've had many jobs while working on my teaching degree such as a food server, a swim instructor, working retail at Barnes & Noble and at The Banana Republic, but my favorite job aside from teaching was when I was employed by a company who supported and provided services for the NCAA drug testing program. It was for both year-round testing and for specialized Division I, II, and III tournaments as well as for pre-Olympic trials. It was a very cool experience meeting and spending time with elite athletes nationally and internationally. Being on site for the competitions was also incredible.”
Q: So, what made you decide to get into teaching?
A: “I come from a family of educators and my father was a high school principal in New Jersey, so I kind of grew up with it around me. It only made sense that I'd follow suit. I decided not to be in education when graduating from college, but chose to get into education after experiences running programs for teens at the YMCA and New England Health and Racquet. I eventually realized teaching was absolutely the right pathway.”
Q: What was your “I almost quit” moment?
A: "When education started being measured with state testing, specifically with requirements determining whether or not a student would obtain a diploma, I really considered leaving the profession. I saw many students struggle with seeing their potential as a person crushed because of a test score... Correction, three tests. To me, it was heartbreaking, but that made me want to find ways to get it done and see it through with students even more. It still is a challenge I struggle with on how to improve upon daily.”
Q: How do you spend breaks/summer?
A: “During the summer, I enjoy going to the beach and being in the water as much as possible, riding roller coasters, hiking and running. Nothing beats grilling weather and being outside for meals during the summer months.”
Q: Why do you teach what you teach?
A: “I teach in general because I know what it's like to not know exactly what direction I'm going in, and I had teachers who invested in me as a high school student, and it left an impression on me that stayed with me so I wanted to do that as well.”
Q: What is the craziest thing that's happened to you on the j0b?
A: "The craziest moment while teaching was, while sitting with a small group of students at a table, a student across from me said 'there is a huge spider coming down over your head!' I am absolutely terrified of spiders, and in the moment, I knocked the student next to me clear off his chair and onto the floor. It was a group effort of the students to kill the spider, putting up a fierce fight, and no one was hurt aside from the freakishly large arachnid. I did apologize to the student I knocked off the chair and gave them a can of bug repellent, a gift card to Dunkin, and a free pass to make fun of me his remaining years at the school. We also had a can of bug repellent that we kept on my desk the remainder of the year, just for a laugh.”
Q: How different is your personality outside of school compared to in school?
A: “I am who I am in school and out of school, I don't turn on “School Reilly” and “Out of School Reilly.” I try to be authentic all the time.
Q: What would you say is the most difficult daily aspect of your job?
A: “Making sure that each class brings meaning to each of my students and their individual needs, I'm always reflecting on whether I actually did accomplish that.”
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