Mrs. Carchidi has taught history here at WTPS for 36 years. She chose to teach here because at the time, 1981 to be exact, Township was still a developing district. Schools were built and they needed teachers. It made sense to Mrs. Carchidi to apply there. She got the job of course, but then it took her 7 more years before moving her family across the bridge from Philadelphia to New Jersey.
She chose to teach because she loves history and wanted to do something with it. “I tested very high for international relations but really didn’t want to take additional foreign languages (shame on me), being in a museum wasn’t something I really thought about so the best option was to teach History.” Mrs. Carchidi didn’t fancy teaching small children, so she majored in Secondary Education. When asked what she liked most about teaching, she said “I love being around people all the time, the interaction, and I truly love sharing my joy of history with others.”
Indeed, does Mrs. Carchidi enjoy sharing her vast knowledge of the world’s history. Her methods of teaching paired with her energetic personality make feel as though you’re not taking a class (aside from all the writing, but you get the point). However, even with her unique method, not everyone does well in history class, be it European or America on the World Stage. How does she make it so that even they learn something valuable? “I have gone back to school myself, I read stories about the people I teach,” She said. “I share as much information about these people as I can with my students so they realize they are people just like us— they had families, they cried, laughed, made mistakes, just like we do. I try to make history a story of people that my students can relate to.”
Mrs. Carchidi is always willing to help students that feel like they struggle with history. “For the most part, I tell them that this is their job- to graduate high school and that means that they have to pass history. So they need to put extra time into class. If needed, they have to come after school and I’ll help them but they have to be willing to put in the extra time if I’m willing to put the extra time.”
She values hard work the most in all of her students. She says that she wants her students to work as hard as she does. “I want them to put the time into doing things and getting things done like I do. It’s important to be disciplined and learn time-managing skills- and not just for high school but for college and the career that will follow.”