Inspiring the Future

Ms. Leonarduzzi shares her first experiences teaching at American High School

Noah Fajardo

Staff Writer

    Biology is the study of life and living organisms. But for science teacher Ms. Leonarduzzi, known to her students as Ms. Leo, teaching biology is more than just an opportunity to share valuable knowledge about plants and organisms with her students.

    When Ms. Leo first arrived at American, one of the first things she noticed was the size of the school. American may not appear to be an exceptionally massive school, but for Ms. Leonarduzzi, this was definitely not the case.

    “I came from a junior high, so the sheer size of American was definitely one of the first impressions I got,” Ms. Leonarduzzi said. “It’s a nice, big campus.”

    When Ms. Leo was growing up, she always loved going to school and learning. Not surprisingly, her teachers played a large part in inspiring her to take up a similar profession as an adult.

    “Definitely, when I was a little kid, I always loved my teachers. I was kind of a teacher’s pet, and I definitely had some teacher growing up that I wished I wanted to be like when I got older,” Ms Leonarduzzi said. “and as a kid I would sit there and play with my stuffed animals being teacher, so it’s a definitely a passion of mine.” Ms. Leonarduzzi said.

    While their passion for a subject can be a driving force for many teachers decision to choose an educational profession, Ms. Leo’s main reason was because of her love of children.

    “I love students, I love kids and I love sharing my passion and my knowledge with them.I love the energy they bring into the classroom and getting to know each person and their different personalities.” Ms. Leonarduzzi said.

    Above all, Ms. Leo cares deeply for her students. From her unique methods of teaching to her immense dedication toward each student’s progress, Ms. Leo loves that she can be a force in shaping her students’ future.

     “Ms. Leo really really cares about us, and she really cares about how we’re doing, and that’s definitely shown through her teaching.” Bob Chen (9) said.