Sofia Arianna

Ms. Marcotte

Ms. Marcotte gave her Journalism 1 students the task of interviewing any staff member here in the building. So who better to interview than the teacher who gave the assignment herself? 

Ms. Marcotte teaches both English and Journalism here at Tuscarora High School. Going to school at Mount St. Mary’s University, she majored in English and Education. She wasn’t always on the career path of education though.

When I asked what made her want to become a teacher, she explained that she was originally on the path for law school until she switched her majors halfway through college. She explained that her professors suggested that she do something with English, prompting her to take a career survey. The two top results from the survey was guidance counselor and secondary English teacher. 

“I really enjoyed being in the field. I had done a lot of tutoring and working at the writing center while I was in college. So I valued being able to improve other student’s writing and helping people through that. Always helping my friends with editing papers and peer reviewing. That had always brought me a lot of joy, because I knew it was going to help them in every class that they took.” 

When I asked what what one of her favorite things about teaching, Ms. Marcotte’s response was that she enjoyed how the day is never going to go exactly how you planned.

She added, “No matter how you think the day is gonna go, you’re always adapting and seeing little surprises that help you learn to be a better teacher. I find that even the most experienced teachers are always learning everyday —  learning from students and learning from other teachers — about how to be better.”

Even if you’ve mastered the material to teach your students, you’re still learning how to be a better teacher everyday, according to Ms. Marcotte. She genuinely values how she’s able to learn from other teachers and even her own students. Unfortunately, I don’t think many students understand that their teachers do value them. 

Lastly, Ms. Marcotte was asked about how she as a teacher focuses on helping her students succeed.

“This is going to sound cheesy, but you don’t give up. I think a lot of students think that if they give up on themselves, everyone else will give up on them, and they can kinda just flow under the radar.”

Ms. Marcotte explained to me that the way to never give up on your students is to never just look at academics. Students are more than their academics, and in her opinion you have to get to the heart of the student in order to connect and help encourage them. 

Ms. Marcotte is a genuine person and teacher, valuing her job and students. She values being able to help her students, learn from her students, and being able to see them for who they are outside of just academics. Her students are very lucky to have a teacher who cares like she does.