Teachers are the foundation for education and have one of the most vital jobs. Four teachers were surveyed and shared their experiences of living as a teacher and their daily routines. These four teachers have a very diverse life, from waking up at 5 a.m., to racing to Dunkin. The leadership shown by these teachers demonstrates the responsibilities that come with preparing students for the future.
Richard Kim has been an art teacher at Walpole High School (WHS) since 2004. When he is at home, he starts his day at 5 a.m. He enjoys meditation and yoga as a way of beginning on a positive note. Before becoming a teacher, Kim was a dancer, so he is highly experienced in expression and creativity. Kim strives to give his students the creative freedom they need to become successful.
“At night, I teach at Tufts [University] and at a dance studio during the school week and used to teach several dance companies around the country every weekend during the school year,” Kim said.
Kim enjoys spending time with his students during class and creating a positive environment for everyone to express their creativity. During his lunch breaks, he continues to work hard, making sure he is caught up on his grading and occasionally goes out for coffee. Otherwise, he is spending his time conversing with other teachers.
“We laugh a lot in my classes, but my students also work extremely hard. I really try to model and train these behaviors that are kind of like yin and yang. I am trying to teach kids to take themselves seriously but not to take life seriously,” Kim said
French teacher Kathleen Frattasio has been teaching at WHS, part time, for two years. From the moment she arrives at school, she helps other teachers in the foreign language wing by turning on their lights. Then, she goes to her desk and makes sure that the day’s classwork is printed and organized for the day.
“During short breaks I am cleaning the room to get ready for the next class on off periods I prep my work. Preparation is number one.” Said Frattassio.
Frattasio prioritizes cleanliness and organization over a disorganized work setting, which is why before the start of each class, she wipes down the desks, writes the agenda for the day on her board and places materials on desks, which is then followed by standing out in the hallway and greeting any students or other staff that come by.
Frattasio has a particular liking for student interactions as she tries to create a comfortable setting for all students to succeed. She appreciates when students come by during the day to say hello, or when they feel comfortable enough opening up and sharing things about themselves. She believes that other than teaching French, her number one job as a teacher is to get to know her students.
“The reason I am still here is because I still love the kids in the classroom. I care about the kids in my room and helping them learn. Struggling or not, that’s my job and I still love it so much,” Frattasio said.
Similar to Frattasio, Marisa Silk, WHS English teacher, enjoys spending time learning students’ interests and talking about recent pop culture moments that relate to English.
“I love discussing what tv shows or movies students have seen. For example, I will always be chatting with my students about Met Gala outfits or the latest Traitors banishment. I always appreciate when students ask me about my day or discuss what they are doing outside of school,” Silk said.
Silk’s first year at WHS was in the 2025-2026 school year and she made a good impression with her students, along with the other staff in her department. Silk is an avid reader and enjoys learning about new topics. She is also well known by her students for having fidgets in her room that she offers to anyone feeling stress or anxiety, showing her attentive and curious personality. She enjoys connecting with students during class while also keeping them on task.
Another faculty member at WHS is math teacher, Zachary Okolowicz. This year marks the 13th year of Okolowicz’s teaching career and his 11th at WHS. Not only is Okolowicz a geometry teacher, but he is also the girls and boys volleyball coach. Okolowicz is known for being a skillful teacher and an approachable friendly face. Most students don’t realize how much work teachers like Okolowicz do in order to maintain a productive classroom. Okolowicz shares that one part of teaching that students rarely see is the grading.
“I think the grading. People definitely know that it occurs but it definitely does take longer than people expect, like [teachers] are not just working in our contract time, most of us are taking stuff home, doing work on the weekends; and that’s just the physical work of it,” Okolowicz said.
There is also a deeper emotional baggage that goes along with being a teacher as well. Not all students feel comfortable talking to their teachers but if they do it is clear they take it seriously and are sympathetic for the student.
“When you are processing a student that’s not doing well and you are trying to think of ways to help those specific kids, or if something is going on at home for some kids in their life, you take that on as baggage a little bit because you don’t want to see anybody in those situations,” Okolowicz said.
Okolowicz is always trying to help his students, throughout all the social and physical aspects of teaching. Each teacher handles it differently but it proves how much teachers care for their student’s well being.
Each of the teachers expressed their preferred teaching styles and how they find students to be the most successful. Regardless of their individual teaching methods, each approach is intended to set up their students for success.
