After an interview with various teachers, about their personal experiences and lives, we were able to discover various things about them. Here are some of the things they said after we asked them questions:

Mr. Walker, Room 124

Was being a teacher your first choice of career?

“It was not. I did insurance after college, and after that I got onto the Board of Ed and found it really interesting, so I decided to switch careers.”

What do you do over the summer?

“Over the summer I like to play golf, fish, and hang out by the pool.”

What college did you go to, and what degrees do you have?

“I went to Union College in New York as a math major. I got a bachelor of science in math.”

Is there anything you do, or that you avoid doing, because of a previous teacher you’ve had?

“That’s a good question. I always read directions, no matter what, even if I buy something at home or build something.”

Do you have any hobbies not related to your job?

“Not related? Fishing, golf, sports, and I like to garden.”

Mrs. A, Room 126

Was being a teacher your first choice of career?

“Believe it or not, it was. I did have some other career ideas where I did think about becoming a police officer or firefighter, but being a teacher was definitely always there, and so was something related to music.”

What do you do over the summer?

“Now, I do a lot of training at the gym and relaxing. I used to be a lifeguard over the summer, and do coaching, but many people have told me to use my summer to recoup and regenerate, and just relax.”

What college did you go to, and what degrees do you have?

“I have an undergraduate degree in vocal performance at UCONN, and then I went to university of Bridgeport and got my teacher certification for music education, and then I went back and got a second masters degree in Health and Wellness.”

Is there anything you do, or that you avoid doing, because of a previous teacher you’ve had?

“I do not pick favorites. I’m not a big fan of doing that because when I was in school teachers did that and didn’t like how it made other people feel, so I promised myself I would never do that so all my students would feel equally cherished in my classroom.”

Do you have any hobbies not related to your job?

“Besides singing, yes. I like to lift and compete. I’m an olympic weightlifter and I like to powerlift, and I swim occasionally. I like more physical activities, but I’ve also knitted before.”

Mr. Abucewicz, Room 127

Was being a teacher your first choice of career?

“Yes, it’s kinda funny how it worked out. I thought I was going to teach math at first, but I wasn’t very good at calculus, so I talked to my music teachers in high school. Since I was doing all of the music groups, I really enjoyed it, and I had been doing it since I was 8 years old, I knew music education was the path for me.”

What do you do over the summer?

“As little as possible. It’s mostly dedicated to house maintenance, yard work, house projects, visiting family, and taking care of my elderly father and my elderly aunt.”

What college did you go to, and what degrees do you have?

“My undergraduate and graduate degrees are both from Central Connecticut State University. I have an undergraduate degree in bachelor science in music education, and my masters is in music.”

Is there anything you do, or that you avoid doing, because of a previous teacher you’ve had?

“Interesting question. I really liked my high school band director, but I didn’t know what a band was supposed to be like until I got to college. My college band director really kind of opened my eyes to what the direction of what a band should be, not that my high school band director didn’t give me that, just the approach was very different. It was very marching band oriented in high school, so everything we did sounded like a marching band, our jazz band sounded like a marching band, our concert band sounded like a marching band, big and loud. I try not to do that, so that every student benefits from whatever experience they’re in, whether it be marching band, concert band, or jazz band.”

Do you have any hobbies not related to your job?

“What takes up most of my time while not in school is probably being in the gym.”

Mrs. Lipscomb, Room 209

Was being a teacher your first choice of career?

“Yes and no. When I first went to college I had wanted to be a marine biologist, but when I got there I changed my path and decided to become a teacher.”

What do you do over the summer?

“I like to travel to see family in Ohio and Pennsylvania and run races over the summer.”

What college did you go to, and what degrees do you have?

“I went to Hiram College, and I have a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and a master’s degree in high school education.”

Is there anything you do, or that you avoid doing, because of a previous teacher you’ve had?

“I don’t use red pens on students’ papers. My English teacher used red pens to grade papers and I didn’t like all the red marks on my paper. I also like to get to know my students.”

Do you have any hobbies not related to your job?

“Running, hiking, reading, and fixing things.”

Mr. Quintero – Room 227

Was being a teacher your first choice of career?

“No, I had a prior career in the military. I did 20 years, and when I was coming out, I knew I wanted to coach, so teaching was the perfect profession to go into. I pursued it, and I’m really happy I did. This is my 10th year of teaching, and I love it.”

What do you do over the summer?

“As little as possible. I do enjoy the summer, it’s a lot of family time. I enjoy it because in the military I was gone a lot, and I spend a lot of time with my family now. It’s a nice trade-off with this career as a teacher to be able to enjoy all that time off with my family.”

What college did you go to, and what degrees do you have?

“I went to Norwich University, I was a criminal justice major, but I knew I was going into the army, so I didn’t really use that degree. When I was in the army, to get promoted to major, I got a masters degree in international diplomacy, and then to become a teacher 10 years later, I had to get a masters in education at the University of Bridgeport.”

Is there anything you do, or that you avoid doing, because of a previous teacher you’ve had?

“That’s a good question. I learned a lot from good teachers, and I learned a lot from teachers that weren’t so strong. The one thing I try to do is I respect all my students, and I think you have to earn respect, you have to give respect, and that’s really where my interpersonal skills come to fruition. I have a pretty good relationship with all my students, that’s something I always valued because they’re students, life is hard as a teenager, and I don’t need to make it harder.”

Do you have any hobbies not related to your job?

“I work out a lot, it’s the way I deal with stress. I used to run a lot, but I do it a lot less because my body is getting older, and now it hurts. I do enjoy yard work, I go crazy at my house, it’s almost over the top, and I do enjoy having a pool at my house. I like to travel with my family, and we go to a new spot almost every year.”

Mrs. Russman, Library 

Was being a teacher your first choice of career?

“No. I always loved the idea of teaching, but my first major was communication sciences, and then I switched to be a speech and hearing teacher, and then I switched to be an elementary teacher.”

What do you do over the summer?

“Over the summer I love to read, obviously, go to the beach or hang out by the pool, definitely get together with friends. Just being outside is my favorite thing to do over the summer. I also like to spend time with my kids.”

What college did you go to, and what degrees do you have?

“I went to the UCONN branch in Torrington, which is now closed. I went there for 2 years, then transferred to Elms College, and then got my masters at Central Connecticut University. With my degrees I can kind of do a lot. I can be an elementary teacher, a high school English teacher, or a librarian, so I’m covered for K-12.”

Is there anything you do, or that you avoid doing, because of a previous teacher you’ve had?

“That’s a good question. When working as a teacher for so long, I’ve seen things I don’t like and things I really appreciate. I try to do things I don’t like, like losing my temper, or yelling. I’m not a big yeller, because I don’t like the look of it from what I’ve seen. I like to make learning fun, build relationships with students, and promote books.”

Do you have any hobbies not related to your job?

“Not really. I don’t really have any big hobbies other than reading. I read a hundred books a year, easily. I also like to exercise and be active.”