Mr. Romano, a teacher who teaches math here at IMS/Iselin Middle School, and enjoys working with students who love to learn about math.
Mr. Romano is an amazing math teacher that uses multiple strategies to help his students.The reason we chose Mr Romano is because Lena told us about him and convinced us to interview him. This is what Lena told us “Mr Romano is so kind and would be a perfect fit to interview, plus no one has interviewed him yet.”
Panther press: What inspired you to be a math teacher?
Mr.Romano: My desired to make a difference in the lives of people particularly students because i worked in a another field i didn’t not get the level of satisfaction and given that i was good at math and i wanted to make a difference it just made sense to work with students and help with improve their understanding of math
Panther press: What do you love about teaching?
Mr.Romano: I love a lot of things about teaching I love the difference I could make i love that i could be a role model for students and be somebody they can talk to I also like the sense of community that the school provides just being a steady figure with in the lives of my colleagues and my students and bringing joy to their lives whether it’s doing thing like pie day or being their cross country coach i think there is so many angles and sides to it that just really make me love what I do.
Panther press: Why do you love that about teaching ?
Mr.Romano: Because I think that society needs that society needs people that are willing to put others above themselves and do what good for humanity i feel like i’m filling a role and teaching provides me with purpose and gets me that satisfaction that some jobs don’t have
Panther press: What are you most proud of achieving as a math teacher?
Mr.Romano: I’ve always been proud of being selected of teacher the year in just my 5th or 6th year at Iselin middle school among st 70 other teachers in the school so i always felt proud about that and i just like to see the growth of my student from whether it’s from September to June or longer period of time and see them reach the highest level of calculus in high school it really inspiring and makes me feel good that somebody that came in here as a middle schooler has grown up and taken their abilities to the highest level of math available in the high school
Panther press: Looking back, what are the most valuable lessons you have learned as a math teacher?
Mr.Romano: I think I’ve known this but I think everybody needs somebody who understands them whether they have behavior issues or learning issues they still need somebody who understands them.
Panther press: How do you help kids that really struggle with math?
Mr.Romano: I try to do a lot of motivation and a lot of encouraging and eligible to the real world and teach them that mistakes are okay, I try to make them realize the important of math and how you know it is important i life I also have a no judgment zone where I teach them everything is okay and I teach them that we will get to our goals.
Panther press: What are some of the biggest challenges you have faced as a math teacher?
Mr.Romano: One of the biggest challenges is that there is never enough time. There is a 10 month school year where there is stuff that interferes with school, special occasions, standardized testing, and if you take off the days then there is never enough time. So if you just prioritize the students they will have importance for it.
Panther press: How do you stay up to date with new math teaching methods?
Mr.Romano: I listen to what others say on the articles that are for me and I only think positive things.This makes me help learn the things I need to learn.
Panther press: What makes it a good day at school for you?
Mr.Romano: When it’s nice out everyone is boosted and they’re in a good mood. I just feel like the students did a lot work and that made me feel good
Panther press: What advice would you give to someone considering being a math teacher?
Mr.Romano: Firstly, you have to learn to make a difference. You need to have a lot of patience and this job requires multitasking and if they are not doing work then that’s wrong because you are not going to be behind a desk everyday and we need to get up and move.