On Saturday, December 18, 2010, I was afforded the opportunity to speak with Adelphi University alumnus and Long Island secondary school teacher, Andrew Cattani. According to Andrew Cattani, "this marks my second full year teaching at a Long Island school district. I am responsible for the instruction of eleventh and twelve grade high school students in the content area of Social Studies."
Andrew Cattani Discusses his Educational Background at Adelphi University
"I did a five year program at Adelphi University; I earned my Bachelor’s degree magna cum laude in 2008, with a major in History, and I minored in secondary education; moreover, I earned my Master’s degree in 2009, in secondary education (grades 7-12) in Social Studies."
"My experiences at Adelphi University were good! I wanted to stay local, so I commuted to college. I made some great friends there, and I have good relationships with them. I think the faculty at Adelphi University did a solid job with regard to preparing me for the outside teaching world," Cattani remarks.
He continues, "Adelphi University had a number of special programs in student teaching. They had a program called the 'model teacher program' which involved an application process, in which I had to interview and provide work samples to be accepted in it. It was different than a typical student teaching experience, since I observed the students that I was going to teach from September until December, and then I student taught."
At Adelphi University, Cattani was inspired by Dr. Salvatore Primeggia, a veteran professor in the college's Sociology Department. "He was the first professor who got me to do a great deal of reading. Professor Primeggia inspired me to be a better student and a better person in everyday life," Cattani says.
In addition to his former sociology professor, Cattani’s family has played a major impact in his life, in particular his supportive parents, as well as his older brother, who is an active New York City firefighter; furthermore, he has kept a good relationship with former teachers and coaches from his high school days.
Andrew Cattani Discusses the Hardest Aspect of Teaching
The hardest aspect in his teaching profession involves classroom management, which is a struggle for most newly appointed teachers. "You can be the most effective teacher in the world, however, if you are not able to manage your class, all your teaching points and lesson plans are well-wasted," Cattani says.
Cattani loves the subject matter of Social Studies and feels that "it gives you insight into the future, as long as you are able to comprehend the material correctly."
Cattani’s proudest professional accomplishments include "working with students who have struggled to pass the NYS Regents examination in Social Studies. Luckily, by the end of the course, they managed to achieve a passing score in the state examination; most impressive was that some of my students achieved a 'grade of mastery level,' which is a grade over 85%."
Yet another proud moment for Cattani was when he discovered that a girl in his class was homeless; however, thanks to his help, as well as the support of his colleagues, his former student was able to graduate high school and is currently attending college.
Andrew Cattani Reveals Extra-Curricular Activities and Hobbies
In addition to his teaching career, Cattani has many talents which include music, photography and soccer. "A colleague of mine started a 'Guitar Club' in my school and I have been attending weekly meetings where I help out, and assist students who have a passion for acoustic and electric guitar playing."
With regard to his photography hobby, Cattani states that "I have photographed the sports teams in my school in action, and for pleasure, I enjoy taking pictures of landscapes, including various Long Island scenery and landmarks.”
If he weren’t a teacher, Cattani would still want to be involved in the civil service sector, and would love to help other people and become a firefighter or police officer.
"I have entertained the idea of wanting to become a school building leader (SBL) someday, however, as of now, I would like to stay in the classroom for a while." For students who wish to enter the teaching profession, and for those who wish to become Social Studies teachers, Cattani remarks "it is a very saturated field. You have to build your resume up early on, and establish relationships with local school districts and familiarize yourself with the school curricula that you will be teaching."
He further adds that "it is important for you to be versatile and multi-talented, since if it comes between you and another individual with lesser credentials, the administrator will more likely choose the individual who could do more for the school, in an effort to address the students’ diverse learning needs."
In his spare time, Cattani enjoys writing, exercising, photography, as well as listening and playing diverse styles of music.
Andrew Cattani Shares his Definition of Success
For Cattani, "success" is "looking back at the end of each day and feeling like you did something positive, whether it is for a single person or for a plethora of people."
Andrew Cattani concludes "I would like to thank my fellow colleagues at my school, since without their help, support and guidance, I would not have lasted more than a month or two as a novice secondary school teacher."
References
Personal Communication with the author from Andrew Cattani, December 18, 2010.
Markos Papadatos - Markos Papadatos holds over six years journalism experience, authoring over 700 articles, many of which are feature profile interviews.
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