Recently, Dr. Gregory Muscelli, a 9th grade history teacher received the teacher of the year award for the 2016-2017 school year.
When Muscelli first learned of his newest accomplishment, he said that he was shocked. Knowing how many other great teachers there are in the school, he was humbled to know that he was thought of this highly.
“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,” said Muscelli.
The award, however came of no surprise to his students though. It is apparent that Muscelli is a huge role model for them.
“He always puts 100% into everything that he does,” said Hope Zaborowski ‘20.
His teaching and his personality seem to be the qualities that they seem to love in him. Muscelli always has the class doing interactive activities and is always trying to change up the way he teaches so that it accommodates everyone.
Every day Muscelli strives to be a better teacher than he was the day before and in doing so, he makes the classroom a fun environment to be in. He dedicates time to the students, whether it be staying after school late or meeting at school early, Muscelli is there to put his students in the best position he possibly can to see them succeed.
“His constant motivation keeps me from dropping,” said Maggie Fitzgerald.
Muscelli is a very optimistic person. Quotes that help guide him through life are: “The sun will always rise tomorrow,” “Work hard”, and “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.
It’s understandable that students and faculty alike would vote for him as teacher of the year. His hard work and dedication pays off. Signs of that are seen in how his students perform in the classroom. They actually enjoy learning the material, and he always has his students’ best interest at heart.
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.
It was the influences of his grandmother and his mother that inspired him to become a teacher. Though his grandmother never made it past 7th grade, she helped him realize the value of education. Throughout his life he valued that his mother was always there to support him. Although he was nervous about getting into college, Muscelli went on to attend LaSalle University and study secondary education for social studies.
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”