Teacher of the Year: Muscelli

An interview with one of the teachers of the year, Dr. Muscelli.

Kami Hickson '20, Staff Editor

Graduating from LaSalle University in 2004, Dr. Gregory Muscelli began his teaching career. First teaching one year at Cherry Hill West High School and then spending his next twelve years at Washington Township High School. However, before becoming a teacher Muscelli had thoughts of joining the army and becoming a mechanic. He had dreams of becoming a teacher since he was in the 6th grade and it was the influences of his grandmother and his mother that inspired him to become a teacher. His grandmother helped him realize the value of education and his mother was always there for him. Although he was nervous about getting into college, Muscelli went on to attend LaSalle University and study secondary education for social studies.

As a kid, Muscelli had teachers that he didn’t enjoy and for that reason, he was inspired to make the classroom a more enjoyable place for kids. He was also inspired by his grandmother. Though his she never made it past 7th grade, she is the major inspiration for all that he does today.

Muscelli is a very optimistic person and he tries to let that shine through in everything that he does, even the quotes and sayings by which he lives his life. “The sun will always rise tomorrow” “Work hard” is another quote the Muscelli has always lived by. “Smell the roses and just enjoy life”

“I never stopped to enjoy and that’s what I think I’m doing now is after I finished my doctorate I remember telling my wife that hey I just want to enjoy teaching and have fun and that’s what I think I’m doing now and it’s pretty awesome,” he said.

Muscelli is a man who is proud of the accomplishments that he has had over the years such as starting his family, being a father of two daughters, and teaching the Advanced Placement World History course in Washington Township High School. One saying that Muscelli finds extremely important in life is “Constantly try to improve”, a piece of advice that Muscelli gives because he understands that “you’re not going to be the smartest person in the room”

Fitting in perfectly with his positive attitude Muscelli offered some wonderful advice for those who aspire to become a teacher. “Don’t listen to the nay sayers. And what I mean by that is there is some people in education that maybe have a negative view on it or because of what the pay is or because of new laws that have passed down and impacted us in education. There are some people who are negative towards it and say if I could do it all over again I wouldn’t. I say I would. It’s the greatest job in the world and I think that as long as you love kids and want to help people, the rest works itself out.