Many students at Kinnelon High School believe that assistant and student teachers just sit and watch another teacher teach, and then answer your question occasionally. However, student teachers do a lot more than students may believe. Assistant and student teacher Nick Lupo helps history teacher Danielle Elia out around her class in many ways. Not only is Lupo helping her, but along the way, Lupo is learning new things as a student teacher.
Lupo has the same role and responsibilities as a full-time teacher this semester. He works five days a week and, like Elia, teaches, grades, responds to emails, and even outlines the curriculum for one of Elia’s classes, Sociology. In Lupo’s previous semester at KHS, he only worked three days a week and was only co-teaching and observing. Over time his responsibilities have developed.
Lupo’s only job is not just to teach students. “As a teacher, you have to be more than someone who can tell a student who George Washington is. A teacher should be a mentor and someone who always listens and guides their students. Being able to help my students with whatever they need has been my favorite part of teaching thus far,” says Lupo.
Not only is Lupo here to teach, but he is also here for the students. Reading off a board to a group of students is not the only thing that teaching is. You have to be present and be able to interact with your students.
The students who have Lupo can see this from him as well. Junior Abby Talbot says, “Mr. Lupo is always checking in on us and seeing if we need any help on our work. You can tell that he cares about us.” Many other students at KHS also feel as though Mr. Lupo is a great help.
While Lupo loves to be an assistant teacher, it also comes with its drawbacks, too. As well as an assistant teacher, Lupo is also a student at William Paterson. At times it’s a struggle for Lupo to balance everything.
Lupo has to balance his teacher work, like grading and making assignments, as well as his school work and sports. Lupo says, “I assumed that teaching in a school would be pretty similar to coaching, and I assumed it would be really easy to manage my time between teaching, going to class, playing, and coaching. I was wrong, like totally wrong, and I struggled early on last semester balancing everything, and I didn’t even mention my family or social life.”
While Lupo does find it to be a struggle at times, he continues to show up for his students. Along the way, he is learning how to balance his life. Lupo and Elia are teaching each other many things along the way and will continue to.
