While Ms. Strentz is in China, Toni Ciardullo, an experienced teacher, has been filling in. She sits down with the Messenger to talk about her past teaching experiences, and what she sees for herself in the future.

Is it true that you came out of retirement to take this long term substitution job?

Well, retirement is ebb and flow. People do many things in retirement but usually they don’t go back to teaching for a long term. I did a short term substitution job in the fall, as a favor, to renew my acquaintanceship with chemistry, which was about forty years old, at Ingraham, because there was no chemistry sub. And each day I went, I learned. So when I was called to come here because two of the things I do well are literacy training and advanced placement, I said yes.

Literacy training and AP are pretty different, though, aren’t they?

I’ve always enjoyed reading so much that I want to inspire all ends of it. That if you think you can read really well – almost a never-ending progression – you can still learn different ways to read better. And if reading is something you don’t want to do, I want to help you both want it, and to do it better.

Is there anything in particular that made you want to come back and take this job?

They just asked me, and it was two areas I wanted to teach. And I admired Ms. Strentz when I met her.

So over the course of your teaching career where have you taught?

I think over the years I was one of those young people, even after I got wrinkles, because I had so little seniority I went around to many many places. I left Ingraham after 11 years. I chose to move from West Seattle to Ingraham to take a drama job, and to be closer to home. So there’s almost twenty years right there. But in the other 33 years, there was never a period of time where I was in the same place for more than two hours … years. At my age, hours and years seem the same.

Do you have a favorite teaching memory?

There are many. Once upon a time, I lamented to my middle school students, “Gee, I miss the early years of teaching when people could sing so sweetly, and students would say, ‘we’re all in our places, with bright shiny faces, and this is the way, to start a good day.’” I figured that they had never heard it, and didn’t pay attention to what I was saying. But on my birthday, as I was going to take roll, before I could begin, they all sang that song. Another wonderful experience is just when I left Ingraham, people I hadn’t taught in 5, 10, 15, 20 years, tracked me down and treated me very well. That was very inspiring.

So have you taught anywhere besides high school?

I had a two-year stint in middle school. Which, I think, is a good wake up call. And I’ve taught college, on college campuses, pre-college classes. But most of my time has always been in high school.

What do you like about teaching here?

Garfield … the administration is supportive and kind to our human needs. They feed us treats, meals, they wish us well. Students have a feel for what Garfield is, and I see, I think it’s called Bulldog pride, all the time. And people have a feeling that what they are doing here is important.

Initially what made you want to be a teacher?

I like teaching, I love learning so much that I like sharing the joy of learning. People who don’t enjoy it need to learn that they can learn, and that’s probably the most important lesson you can learn. And if you really love learning, then become a teacher.

Besides teaching did you ever consider another career?

Yes, I wanted to be a lawyer, and I want to tell you as a poet, who’s an abstract, random thinker, I did not do well on the LSAT. But my daughter graduated from Fordham Law. She’s now a high powered lawyer. And I think it’s kind of funny because my mother, more than anything, wanted to be a teacher. So I think we have a whiplash theory of careers. I think my daughter in her heart of hearts, wants to open up her own restaurant. So I want to live long enough to see my granddaughter or grandson open a restaurant.

What do you see yourself doing after this stint?

After this stint, I see myself going back to extreme junk reading, getting my garden in order, deciding when I wake up every morning if it’s either a swim day or a go to the Y day, and do exactly what I want that day. So, I am grateful for the 50 days of discipline, may I live long enough to experience it. But retirement is preferable. There was no siren song calling me back from the classroom, it was just an area I can do. And as they say in the trade, be good, be attentive and be gone.