The newest additions to the Mountain Lions
Q: How are you adjusting to your new position at the high school?
A: “I like it. I am an Altoona Alumni, so it is great to be back in the school that I attended. It’s interesting to see the changes that have occurred since I attended here.”
Q: Why did you choose to teach at Altoona?
A: “I’m from this area, so that was one of the draws for working in Altoona. I also have children in the district. “
Q: What inspired you to be a teacher?
A: “Long family lineage of teaching. My brother is also a teacher. He teaches at the junior high. My uncle was a teacher, and he taught at Roosevelt. My sister also has her teaching degree.”
Q: If you could design your dream classroom what would it look like and include?
A: “Everything that students need to engage in learning and be successful, so once they graduate they would have the skills necessary to be productive in the community.”
Q: What are some obstacles you have faced on your journey as an educator?
A: “Early on, it was difficult to secure a full time teaching position. I ended up teaching outside of the country for a few years. I think that was difficult moving from home, but in retrospect, it was the best decision I have ever made. Having that experience internationally gave me the confidence to come back and showcase what I learned in the classroom.”
Q: What piece of advice would you give to those thinking about becoming teachers?
A: “Teaching is a very rewarding job. There are many benefits to being a teacher that younger students or students that aren’t thinking about pursuing that profession, there is a lot more to it that you can do than just what they see in the school they go to. There are huge opportunities to teach internationally. I taught on an island, and I taught in Europe. Just the reward of seeing success and seeing them grow throughout the year.”
Q: If you weren’t teaching what would your life be like?
A: “I think I would be successful in whatever I pursue in life. I enjoy exercising, swimming and, when I was on the island, spearfishing. If I wasn’t doing this job, I’d probably be on an island catching fish.”
Q: What do you enjoy doing outside the school day?
A: “Spending time with my children and wife and family. Swimming, reading books when I can. Mostly being as involved as a dad as I can.”
Describe your teaching philosophy?
A: “My teaching philosophy is based on the idea of meeting each student at their individual level and providing them with the skills and engagement they need on their level.”
Who was your favorite teacher growing up? How did he/she impact you?
A: “Mrs. Olga Orr – my sixth grade teacher. She had a distinct voice that you could pick out in a crowd from anywhere. She was always very supportive of me. Even after I went to junior high and high school. I was a swimmer, and I’d break records and things. She would send me notes and flowers throughout high school. Very strict, but prepared everybody for junior high.”
Q:How are you adjusting to your new position at the high school?
A: “I’m really enjoying it. There’s a lot to learn quickly, but I’m doing a good job, and I’m getting myself organized. But it’s always wonderful if you get to teach here at Altoona.”
Q:Why did you choose to teach at Altoona?
A: “I went to Altoona High School, so I am an alumni.”
Q:What inspired you to be a teacher?
A: “There’s lots of people that just need a teacher. They can rely on someone who they always know will not yell at them, but will ask ‘what’s wrong?’ or ‘how can I help you?’. I want to be that teacher for them. I want to be someone who can always be there for students, no matter what.
Q: If you could design your dream classroom what would it look like and include?
A: “It would have lots and lots of outlets in the wall so students can have places to plug in their Chromebooks. We have Chromebooks dying every day. Or maybe more of a technology room, where we could do more fun things using Apple’s technology. Or since it’s math, it would be really nice if we could make things more interactive and make all of our activities very creative and very interactive using Chromebooks or other software.”
Q: What are some obstacles you have faced on your journey as an educator?
A: “No matter how nice you are and no matter how much you want to help the student, there are going to be some situations where you really can’t do anything, even though you want to help. There’s some things that are just out of our hands.”
Q: What piece of advice would you give to those thinking about becoming teachers?
A: “You have to have the heart to become a teacher. You have to be able to care, and you need to have a lot of patience. Because some people need more than one chance. Some people might take five or six or seven chances, but maybe after that seventh chance, they get things put together, and then they start succeeding.”
Q:What do you enjoy doing outside the school day?
A: Sometimes I go to Snake Eyes Gaming, which is run by a couple of our fellow teachers here at the school. I like skiing. I go up to State College to see friends. I think it’s nice to go out and have good food. It’s not the same lunch every day, but it’s just nice to relax sometimes.”
Q:Describe your teaching philosophy?
A: “You have to not judge, and you have to just always be there, be there for them.”
Q: Who was your favorite teacher growing up? How did he/she impact you?
A: “One of my favorites growing up was Mr. James Lowe. He had many challenges he was facing through his own life, but he still made sure to come to school positive, come to school every day and be strong and be there to support us. Not to mention he was able to take his history classes and connect them to our real lives because he would bring in actual, real historical artifacts with him throughout the school year. Every time we had a topic in class, he would bring two to three actual historical artifacts with him. He even brought a cannonball into class one day because we were learning about World War I. And while he didn’t have a cannon, he did let us examine one of the cannon balls that had been shot from a cannon during World War I. So he was able to bring history to us rather than just telling us about it.”
Q: How are you adjusting to your new position at the high school?
A; “I was pretty well prepared for teaching at the Stevens building, so it hasn’t been too much of an adjustment period, but I think I’m doing pretty well.”
Q: Why did you choose to teach at Altoona?
A: “Honestly, the most appealing part was being able to be in the rooms with the athletes that I’m going to be coaching. So right now, I’m trying to get some of the kids in my classes to go out for sports. I think it would help them. But even being able to see the kids that are on the football team or the track team out in the halls has been pretty awesome for me.”
Q: What inspired you to be a teacher?
A: “It might sound crazy, but Mike Adams was actually a huge inspiration to me to become a teacher. He’s been pretty important and influential in my life. During, probably, my junior year of high school, he was the track coach, and we had a pretty rough football season that year, and it kind of spilled over into a rough track season. He took me under his wing to be someone that was a leader and could help get athletics back on track.”
Q: If you could design your dream classroom what would it look like and include?
A: “I know a lot of people haven’t seen it, but there’s the pause classroom down at the Stevens building. It’s got activities for the students to do when they’re done with their work. It’s got a lot of downtime activities. It’s a bigger room, so you don’t have to worry as much about people being too close to each other. So I would say, somewhere where people can just be comfortable.”
Q: What are some obstacles you have faced on your journey as an educator?
A: “I would say the biggest obstacle is the different personalities that you see in the classroom. I think all the kids that you see throughout the day are very different, and you can’t treat them like they’re all the same.”
Q: What piece of advice would you give to those thinking about becoming teachers?
A: “I would say to just be open minded. I think that times are changing, and the way that you educate students has to change with the times. Not everybody is going to be comfortable just coming in, sitting in a classroom and doing Get More Math, or just sitting there with a piece of paper, or just sitting there watching the teacher lecture. So it’s got to be engaging to the students.”
Q: If you weren’t teaching what would your life be like?
A: “So I will honestly say that I feel as though teaching is where I’m supposed to be. My dream job since I was a kid was to play professional football. When I got out of college, that’s what I was able to do. And then once I realized I was done playing football, it was good to fall back onto teaching”
Q: What do you enjoy doing outside the school day?
A: “The biggest enjoyment outside of school is coaching different athletes. There’s track and football. But other than that, I play a lot of video games; a lot of PGA, and a lot of Madden and PUBG”
Describe your teaching philosophy?
A: “The biggest philosophy for me is to not treat every kid the same, or not see the kids as what their discipline is. So sometimes you’ll have kids from the past year that have just been in trouble all the time, and it’s important to not prejudge them based on their past.”
Who was your favorite teacher growing up? How did he/she impact you?
A: “So as far as Mike Adam’s direct impact on me becoming a teacher. When I would come back to train during my off-season, he was constantly telling me that I should be a substitute teacher and that I work well with the kids that are on the track team. So he told me that for a few months before I was like, ‘Alright, let me give it a shot’. And then I actually really enjoyed it.”
Q: How are you adjusting to your new position at the high school?
A: “I like it. It’s different from the junior high, so I have to get used to the pace, and I need to get to know everyone.”
Q: Why did you choose to teach at Altoona?
A:”In the beginning, I went to Altoona, so it was like home for me.”
Q: What inspired you to be a teacher?
A:”My mom. She was a teacher for 37 years, so it’s in the family.”
Q: If you could design your dream classroom, what would it look like and include?
A: “Comfortable seating. I think kids do better whenever they can be a little bit comfortable. It needs to have color. It also has to have a lot going on, so it has to be stimulating that way.”
Q: What are some obstacles you have faced on your journey as an educator?
A: “Just trying to be able to fit all the needs of whether it’s a teacher or student, just kind of feeling it out and getting the most realistic option for people, so that way students can benefit.”
Q: What piece of advice would you give to those thinking about becoming a teacher?
A: “I would tell them that it is hard work, but it’s the most rewarding work too. If you have a passion for kids and being able to watch them excel, then it’s definitely worth it.”
Q: If you weren’t teaching what would your life be like?
A: “If I wasn’t teaching, I would have been doing something art driven. But I can’t even imagine not teaching.”
Q: What do you enjoy doing outside of the school day?
A: “Anything with my kids; they’re very active. I like coaching baton twirling with the majorettes. Anything to stay busy with the kids.”
Q: Describe your teaching philosophy?
A: “Knowing that you have to put in the work, but in the end, if you’re a good person and you care about people, good things can happen.”
Q: Who was your favorite teacher growing up? How did he/she impact you?
A: “All time favorite teacher would have been my eleventh grade English teacher, and I adored her. She was crazy, and she did things where she just made you remember a certain lesson, and that actually ignited my passion for reading and English. Also my mom because she was an English teacher.”
Q: How are you adjusting to your new position at the high school?
A: “All of my colleagues and the other teachers have been a great asset to me and have helped me tremendously along the way and having great students is also a benefit.”
Q: Why did you choose to teach at Altoona?
A: “I decided to teach at Altoona because I was a student here at Altoona, and whenever I was a student, I had great teachers who were role models for me. I aspired to be like them and wanted to help students out in the way that they helped me.”
Q: What inspired you to be a teacher?
A: “A lot of the teachers here at Altoona inspired me.”
Q: If you could design your dream classroom what would it look like and include?
A: “My dream classroom would look like what it looks like now. I love having lab stations in the classroom, and I love having an interactive classroom with my students.”
Q: What are some obstacles you have faced on your journey as an educator?
A: “Although I was lucky to find a full time teaching position directly out of college, it has been an obstacle to adjust to this new way of teaching. II don’t have all of the experiences some of these veteran teachers do. With the help of these veteran teachers, I’ve been able to make my transition very smoothly.”
Q: What piece of advice would you give to those thinking about becoming teachers?
A: “Do it. It is a great reward to see the amount that you can help students, whether that is helping them academically or just being there as a supportive person for them. It’s a great benefit to see that you are assisting and helping as best as you can.”
Q: If you weren’t teaching what would your life be like?
A: “If I wasn’t teaching, I would probably move and live at the beach and have some sort of career that I could do while I’m sitting on the beach. I love the beach.”
Q: What do you enjoy doing outside the school day?
A: “I also help coach cross country. So I love helping out with cross country, being with the girls, helping them and motivating them in every way that I can to better themselves for their races.”
Q: Describe your teaching philosophy?
A: “My teaching philosophy is to teach to the ability of every student, whether that is knowing some students learn better lecturing and taking notes, whereas some students learn better with hands on. So luckily, in the chemistry classroom, we have the ability to do labs, to learn hands on, but we all have the opportunity to also learn.”
Q: Who was your favorite teacher growing up? How did he/she impact you?
A: “All of my teachers here at the high school have been my favorite. There hasn’t been one that I particularly liked or didn’t like. I enjoyed my time with all of my teachers at the high school and throughout the whole junior high and elementary.”
Q: How are you adjusting to your new position here at the high school?
A: “It’s been great. It took a little bit to get started. So no, there’s little adjustments here and there, because it’s a different rodeo from what I’ve been used to and from students all day long. But it’s awesome to be back in this position.”
Q: Why did you choose to teach at Altoona?
A: “I went to Altoona. That’s where I graduated from. I’m a homebody. I didn’t really want to move away. I had a lot of roots in Altoona with friends and family that I wasn’t planning on going to other places.”
Q: What inspired you to be a teacher?
A: I just wanted to help people in general. I had an ambition to be an architect and went to school for math. After having geometry that year with Mr. Lightner, it kind of started the route of going to be a math teacher.”
Q: If you could design your dream classroom, what would it look like and include?
A: “It’d be the class I have right now with all my nerd posters hanging up. If anything, I’d hang more stuff on the walls, but I know they don’t really like us hanging stuff on walls, so I would have even more in here, if possible.”
Q: What are some obstacles you’ve faced as an educator?
A: “I would say the challenge is just how education has changed as a whole with all the kind of behind the scenes work that we have to do, with our jobs, with our yearly evaluations and that kind of stuff. Also just kind of seeing the way I was taught. If I think back to high school, then to high school these days, we didn’t have devices in front of us all the time. Cell phones were just starting to become a thing, and now that’s what we kind of live on, right? So just trying to incorporate more digital skills into the day to day classroom.”
Q: If you weren’t teaching what would your life look like?
A: “At this point, I’m guessing I would probably be, hopefully, some kind of manager, at a store.”
Q: What do you enjoy doing outside of your school day?
A: “I enjoy playing games: video games, board games, card games, miniature gaming. I like to paint on the side. I collect a lot of cards. I also co-own a gaming store called Snake Eyes Gaming. But, sometimes I’m just relaxing and playing some games.”
Q: What is your teaching philosophy?
A: “Education is very important once you become a teacher. You really have to know your clientele, and you have to take it one step at a time. You always have to remember they’re going through some stuff. I see a lot of stuff kids are going through, so I don’t see it to be important to throw so much more on a student’s plate because there’s already enough.”
Q: Who was your favorite teacher growing up and how did they impact you?
A: “If I had to pick curriculum wise for math, it’s probably Mr. Lightner. I think because he was a very smart man, but he also could be silly in class which just made math fun. I would also have to say that Mr. Detwiler here at the high school would also be a favorite just because I had him for three years in band, and he’s just a really good guy.”
Q: How are you adjusting to your new position at the high school?
A: “I used to teach block periods so classes here fly by, but I’m used to teaching high schoolers.”
Q: Why did you choose to teach at Altoona?
A: “Being from State College, I knew of Altoona and the reputation such as the good programs. My buddy student taught P.E. and spoke very highly of the staff, so I was excited to see an opening.”
Q: What inspired you to be a teacher?
A: “My old coach was a middle school P.E. teacher who had Parkinson’s disease. He was still giving everything he had even when he didn’t have anything. I knew if he could do it, so could I.”
Q: What are some obstacles you have faced on your journey as an educator?
A: “I enjoy everything I do. Everyday is a challenge as a teacher; you just have to adapt and overcome.”
Q: What piece of advice would you give to those thinking about becoming teachers?
A: “Just go for it, don’t give up. Some days are tough, the good days are great. Building a connection with students is the best part because I look forward to students wanting to come to class.”
Q: If you weren’t teaching what would your life be like?
A: “Definitely working on a golf course somewhere sunny and 70 degrees everyday, coaching baseball too.”
Q: What do you enjoy doing outside the school day?
A: “Besides golf, being with my buddies, hanging out with my little brother, watching baseball and Penn State football, and playing with my dog, Noel.”
Q: Describe your teaching philosophy?
A: “Be the reason for students wanting to come to school. There’s a lot of absences; you never know what’s going on in someone’s home life. Give them the best opportunity for success. Treat everyone how you want to be treated.”
Q: Who was your favorite teacher growing up? How did he/she impact you?
A: “Coach Jamison was my baseball coach. He was a physical education teacher at Mount Nittany Middle School, and he had Parkinson’s disease. He had brain surgery and is doing really well, so he’s such an inspiration to me. He helped me keep pushing everyday.”
Q: How are you adjusting to your new position at the high school
A: “It hasn’t been a huge adjustment. I actually taught a lot of the kids. I had this year’s kids last year, so I know a lot of the ninth graders and that seems to be who’s around me a lot.”
Q: Why did you choose to teach at Altoona?
A: “I graduated from Altoona, and it was like the place to be.”
Q: What inspired you to be a teacher?
A:”The different teachers over the years that I had with helping kids to not only grow academically but to mature and grow in life. I had those teachers who helped me, and I wanted to pay it forward.”
Q: If you could design your dream classroom what would it look like and include?
A:”One it would be bigger. Two it would have windows. Three I would rather have seats detached from tables.”
Q: What are some obstacles you have faced on your journey as an educator?
A: “The college process and the student teaching process because I also worked full time and did student teaching. So basically it was two full time jobs at the same time.”
Q: What piece of advice would you give to those thinking about becoming teachers?
A: “Make sure you are going into it for the right reasons. It’s not a high paying job in money, but it’s a high reward in teaching.”
Q: If you weren’t teaching what would your life be like?
A: “If I wasn’t a teacher I probably would still be in some type of field that works with kids whether that be mental health counseling or drug and alcohol counseling.”
Q: What do you enjoy doing outside the school day?
A: “When I’m not teaching and not coaching cheer I like going and watching my daughter. This year she is cheering and in the past she has played soccer at the collegiate level.”
Q: Describe your teaching philosophy?
A: “Typically I will give an example. I will do a model then have students either pair up with someone to complete that task or go individually depending on the task.”
Q: Who was your favorite teacher growing up? How did he/she impact you?
A: My Spanish teacher for two years. Mrs. Rosenhoover inspired me to be a teacher, and my English teacher, Mrs. Katrina Brown inspired me to be an English teacher.”
