Ms. Santomauro Interview

Ms. Santomauro was a leave replacement English teacher here at North for the first marking period, filling in for Ms. O’Donohue. On her last day, I had the amazing opportunity to interview her about her experience at North High School.

How has your time at North been?

“My time at North has been absolutely wonderful. I’ve had amazing students and classes. All of my colleagues helped me every step of the way.”

If you had a chance, would you continue to work at North High School?

“Absolutely, I loved my time here.”

What was your favorite thing to teach?

“Each of the classes does something different. For the 8A’s I loved The Outsiders. I loved discussing “Stay gold,” because it thinks it’s relevant to your (8A’s) lives. 11AP: I loved doing argument because we debated all the time, and everyone got to share their ideas on controversial or just funny topics. Seniors: I loved doing college essays with the seniors because I got to know them really well.”

Why did you become a teacher?

“I became a teacher because I think the best gift you can give someone is knowledge and because as a student, my teachers made school a very good experience, and I wanted to give that to the future generation.”

What about North High School made you want to teach here?

“I really love the community aspect of North. Every teacher and every student is involved in something within the school and the community, which I really love. When I went to high school, I was very involved with the community and the high school, so that was something that I really liked about North. The opportunities for the staff to get involved in activities with the students is something that really drew me in.”

As of your departure from North High School, what is something you learned while teaching here?

“I learned to always follow my gut no matter what it is...that I was trained to do this, and I know what I’m doing and to follow my gut. To always have the hard conversations; even though they may be hard, they are important. I learned to always make sure to value my students as people rather than just students because they are people outside of the classroom, and we need to acknowledge that and understand that in order to give them a well-rounded education.”

What is something that you’re going to miss about North High School?

“I am definitely going to miss my students and my coworkers. Every day was great because of the people I was surrounded with. Teaching is nothing without the people around you, and that’s what makes it such a great job especially if you’re a people person, so I will miss all the people I have worked with.”

What advice would you give other teachers who come to or work at North?

“My advice would be to get as involved as possible. We have very long days, and we do a lot of work, but taking that extra time to build relationships within the school and the community and with the students is really important. Showing people that you care about the people you work with, the students you work with, and the place you work in really helps build relationships and gets you more involved to make you a better teacher and a better colleague.”

What advice would you give to students at North High School?

“My advice to students would be to always keep up with the reading because when you fall behind, it gets really hard. And to be honest and open with your teachers. If you are struggling with something, you should be honest. If you could not complete homework because you had work or you had a personal issue going on, honesty is the best policy. Your teachers are very understanding. We are also people, and we understand that we all have personal lives, so it's always best to be as honest as possible and as honest as you are comfortable with being, so that we can help you in any way that you need.”

Ms. Santomauro’s final goodbye to her students: “I am so very lucky to have had all of you in our classes and as a first-year teacher, you were a true blessing. You made me feel very comfortable and very at home in the classroom and I will always cherish all of the memories and relationships we built together as a class. Remember to always do your work!”

Ms. Santomauro was a beloved teacher and member of North High School. She made students feel safe and comfortable with learning in the new class environment. We are glad and thankful that we were able to experience her first year of teaching with her. We hope that she excels in her teaching career far past North.