Sydney DonGiovanni

 

1. What is your educational background, and what positions have you held? Please include the current school district and grade/s.

 I have a Bachelor’s in Math and a Master’s in Secondary Education from SRU. I also hold a Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Pittsburgh. This is my seventh year teaching. I spent three years teaching middle school before transitioning to a high school position. I currently teach high school in Culpeper, VA. 

2. Name one SRU experience, in general or specific to the field, that you will never forget and explain why. 

While at SRU, I was involved in an organization called Musical Theatre Society (MTS). One of my proudest moments was being elected President during my senior year and again during my graduate program. This was special to me because it allowed me to be in a leadership position that I could transfer to my classroom and further my career. It is one of the reasons I decided I didn’t want to be in the classroom my entire career, but move into other mentor-like or coaching roles. It was also a special memory for me because MTS brought me some of my closest friends and best college memories. 

3. Name an SRU faculty that had a positive influence on you and explain why. 

Many faculty members had a positive influence on me. Dr. Mark Hogue is one of them. He was my advisor and professor during my Master’s program at SRU, and he taught me a lot about the kind of teacher and leader I wanted to become. He is easily the most professional person I’ve ever met, and it was clear how much we respected him for that, along with his kindness. It’s sometimes hard to balance professionalism with a laid-back nature, but Dr. Hogue was good at that. He made us feel comfortable, encouraged us, gave us great advice when we needed it, and really cared about all of us in the program. I realized that those were important things to me from both student and teacher perspectives. I’m grateful for my time working with him. I want to give quick shout-outs to Dr. Detlefsen, a former professor of the math department, who pushed me into going to grad school and understanding the need to always take care of yourself first, and Dr. Sparrow of the philosophy department, for continuing to encourage me from a far and still being willing to engage in fun conversations about life, long after graduation.

4. What initially piqued your interest in pursuing a degree in education? 

I had always wanted to be a teacher, at least from the time I was in high school. I was good at math, I enjoyed helping others, my family has a lot of teachers- it seemed like the natural thing to do. I think after being in the field for several years, I realize my passion for education lies in helping teachers become better teachers, rather than being in the classroom, but it all comes down to helping someone improve in some way.

 5. What do you love most about teaching? 

I like being able to work with different groups of students several times throughout the year and get to know them. I also like that in the field of education you have to keep learning and trying new things. It’s fun to see so many different strategies to things like lessons and classroom management that you can try out and see what works for you. It gives a lot of room for individuality to you.

6. What makes a great teacher?

Flexibility and care and compassion. If you’re not flexible, it will be difficult for you. I learned this the hard way my first year of teaching. Things definitely don’t go according to plan and you have to be able to adjust, especially when it comes to your students. Care and compassion lead that flexibility. Caring about your students success and overall wellbeing should be the number one focus. Sure, there are some days they might be tired and you might not get through everything you wanted, and you have to learn to be okay with that. At the end of the day, it’s about them, and if you can master that way of thinking, you’ll be a great teacher.