Is Mr. Catullo The Greatest Teacher Of All Time?

Vince Ferrante, Staff Writer

Mr. Catullo, an eighth grade social studies teacher at Mayfield Middle School, is a very funny, relaxed, and enjoyable teacher. He has been teaching at the middle school for six years and loves to teach about the government. He has taught grades 8, 11, and 12 during his teaching career and doesn’t give out many detentions. The last time he gave a detention was about a month ago.

When asked what his favorite type of student was, he said, “All students are my favorite, but in particular I like creative students that find different ways to answer the questions.” He says that he loves coming to school every day, because, even if it is the first period of the day, he is always excited to start teaching. Mr. Catullo also said that he does not get annoyed with his students when they get off task because he says that “they are a good group of kids”.

Mr. Catullo starts off the class every day by telling students what happened today in history. To make the class even more enjoyable, he adds in a weird state law and a random fact. He often sets up assignments on Google Classroom to help students understand what they are learning a little better and have access to the material when they are at home.

Mr. Catullo also helps students be prepared for the tests that they will take. On days before each test is given, students start off with a Kahoot: a multiple choice game that allows students to play on their devices and connect as a class. After the Kahoot, eighth graders play review games given to them on Catullo’s teacher webpage. Some games include shooting definitions and Pac-Man, all which correspond with the unit the students are learning.

This year, Mr. Catullo has the honor of mentoring a student teacher in his classroom: Mr. Snitzer.  When asked what he like about his partner teacher, Mr. Snitzer said that he likes that Mr. Catullo pushes himself to make learning fun for the kids and more enjoyable. This is why students all throughout the eighth grade like him.

Outside of school, Mr. Catullo likes to play basketball and create music. He even has a drumset in the back of the room that students like to play on before class starts. He allows them to because he has a passion for music and hopes that some students may discover that they enjoy it too. Some of his favorite bands and singers include Built To Spill, Elliot Smith and Cass McCombs.

Overall, Mr. Catullo is one of the most liked teachers in eighth grade, which is saying a lot because all of the eighth grade teachers are very nice and helpful. Mr. Catullo definitely stands out, though, because of his understanding of students and his dedication to history. So the final answer to the big question is yes, for his students, Mr. Catullo is the greatest teacher of all time.