Bellwood-Antis has welcomed a new student teacher, Mr. Verrecchio, into our community. He is working with Mrs. Auberzinski in her classroom to gain invaluable teaching experience.
Amazingly, this is Mr. V’s first time being a student teacher inside a classroom. This semester, he is currently observing and learning about the different ways teachers instruct their students. Next semester, he plans on taking the wheel by teaching by himself with the guidance of Mrs. A. By the end of May, Mr. V hopes on achieving his goal, which is receiving a degree in education.
He is a 2015 graduate from Council Rock South High School, located within the outskirts of Philadelphia. There, he would take great inspiration from his numerous teachers throughout high school. A few teachers stood out to him the most and those were the ones who influenced him to eventually become a teacher. After high school, he continued his education at Bucks County Community College where he would receive his associates degree. He transferred to Penn State Abington, and then to University Park where he plans to graduate in May of 2024.
Mr. V actually did not immediately pursue a career of teaching. He originally went for a degree in chemistry, but he found out that he only enjoyed chemistry because of his high school teacher, and not the profession itself. He realized that becoming a teacher can give him the opportunity to be like the teachers he had in school, where they make learning enjoyable.
In the classroom, Mr. V has recognized some challenges that he will have to overcome. One of them is time management, a common problem with students and teachers alike. With Mr. V, he feels as if a 45 minute class goes by in an instant. Another problem that he faces is engagement. Mr. V wants the lesson to be engaging both on paper and in practice so his students can learn most effectively.
“Currently my teaching style is more of a lecturer as that is where I feel more comfortable, but I would like to change that as I really do not think it is as engaging for students,” he said.
Mr. V wants to have a more hybrid approach to his teaching style, so that both the students and teacher are focused in the class. During his time as a student teacher, he hopes to create his ideal style of teaching.
Once he becomes an official teacher, Mr. V says that he would like to stay somewhere within the northeast, close to friends and family. Preferably, he would like to teach 7th or 8th grade students, but if he can’t, then he’ll take the opportunity to teach whatever grade level is available.
Teaching is not the only thing that Mr. V focuses on. At home, Mr. V enjoys working on his car. He enjoys the satisfaction after completing a big project that required a ton of time and effort. Computers and 3D printing also capture his interest, as he does this occasionally when he is not outside. When he goes outdoors, he will often go for hikes or walks while listening to 90’s grunge music, one of his favorite genres of music to listen to.
Being at Bellwood has had positive impacts on Mr. V. BAHS is completely different than Mr. V’s high school, so his experience here at Bellwood was fun and educational.
“I really like the tight-knit community here,” Mr. V said. “Everyone is genuinely nice and seems to know one another.”
The community at Bellwood wishes Mr. V the best of luck to his teaching endeavors.
