Stephani Damato

What is your educational background and what positions have you held?
I earned my bachelor’s degree from SRU in 2014 in secondary English education and writing and my master’s from SRU in 2016 in special education 7-12. After graduating from SRU the first time, I was a substitute teacher for various Butler, Beaver, and Lawrence county school districts. It was during this time that I began to explore special education, as I was teaching many emotional, autistic, and learning support classes. The spring of 2015 is when I decided to pursue a master’s degree in special education, and it took me about a year to complete the online program. As I was earning my graduate degree, I was hired as a special education paraprofessional for the Ellwood City Area School District, working with emotional, learning, and autistic support students in grades K-2 and 7-12. I worked as an instructional aide there for a year when my first teaching opportunity presented itself. An educator friend of mine informed me that a school called George Junior Republic was hiring. This facility is a part of the Grove City Area School District and it educates delinquent youth from all around the country. I am currently a special education teacher in one of the various special needs units on GJR’s campus, teaching English, reading, math, science, health, and history in an emotional support classroom of eleven boys.

What is the most rewarding aspect of your job?
The demographic of students that I teach is very diverse. The boys I see range from twelve to eighteen years old, many coming from impoverished, underprivileged families and communities. The majority of my students have some degree of emotional disturbance or trauma, and many suffer from a range of behavioral and mental disorders such as ADHD, ADD, bipolar disorder, conduct disorder, schizophrenia, autism, and specific learning disabilities. The struggles that my students have faced in their short lifetimes is sometimes unimaginable and very eye-opening for someone like me who derives from a small-town, middle-class family. I learn just as much from my students as they do from me, and I am honored to have the opportunity to make a difference in their lives in more ways than just educationally. The most rewarding aspect of my job is definitely the relationships I build with my students and seeing something I taught them make a positive impact in their lives.

What advice would you give to current students who are enrolled in the teacher preparation program, and to SRU students generally?
Never stop exploring your options! I have a sister who currently attends SRU and I tell her the same thing. SRU has such a wide variety of degrees and certifications that you can earn, and highly knowledgeable and amazing faculty members that are willing to help you find what’s right for you. Talk to as many educators as you can and really listen to their advice. The things I’ve learned from professors, former teachers, and coworkers is astounding and has truly aided me in my pursuit of becoming the best teacher I can be. Get involved on campus in whatever clubs or programs interest you. And, travel! I went on many trips during my time at SRU with the Honors Program, and looking back, I wish I would have been involved in even more than I was. College is fleeting--in no time, you’ll be graduated with a full-time career, fondly reminiscing on your SRU days. Take advantage of everything this university has to offer, and whatever you do, don’t let fear or uncertainty hold you back from discovering something that could ultimately change your life.

Name an SRU experience or faculty that had a positive influence on you and explain why.
In 2014, I traveled to the The Pennsylvania Council of Teachers of English and Language Arts (PCTELA) conference with my fellow English and education majors and Dr. Timothy Oldakowski. This conference truly reminded me why I got into teaching to begin with. There were panels of professors and teachers sharing their research and experience, there were booths set up with free or discounted resources for educators, there were young adult (YA) authors there to discuss their careers and how they’ve affected and have been affected by the young people in our lives. I took a plethora of knowledge away from this conference; It is an invaluable experience and a great memory that I still cherish.

What makes a great teacher?
A great teacher is someone who not only understands the art of teaching or the foundations of education, but also someone who cares passionately about their profession and the young people they work with every day. Someone who is willing to go above and beyond their job description, and connect with their students in order to create a strong, positive teacher-student rapport. A great teacher should have empathy and an understanding for their students, and communicate with them in a way that will build them up as a learner and as a person. A great teacher should be able to relay their knowledge to students in a way that will stay with them long after they leave the classroom.