Pass the Mic: CSTO Profiles
Thomas Vascensolos Talks Teaching
As citizens, it is our duty to attend school. There are teachers showing up every day educating youth, even if the youth don’t want to be there. I think sometimes we fail to realize how lucky we are to have teachers who care. Eager to learn more about teaching in BPS, I sat down with my former history teacher, Thomas Vascensolos, who currently works at John D. O’Bryant School of Mathematics and Science.
Were you born in Boston?
Technically no, I was born in the Boston area. Cambridge to be specific.
So did you decide to move here for opportunities?
Well right now I live in Somerville and I decided to work in Boston because Boston has a lot of teaching jobs. I knew I wanted to be a teacher, so I applied for various positions in and around Boston, and I just so happened to receive an offer within Boston itself.
Was teaching always your dream job?
It actually was not always my dream job. When I was very young, I thought about potentially becoming a doctor, then I realized I wasn't really passionate about that. So I decided to go into finance and accounting, and I did that for a few years. I'm still passionate when it comes to economics and finance and just keeping up with what's going on in the news and the economy, but for a full-time job, I decided to become a teacher.
What inspires you in your work?
Some of my teachers growing up. I also read many books on teaching and education and that pushed me into the education field.
What is the achievement you're most proud of?
I'm actually the first person in my family to graduate from college, and then I went on to obtain a master’s degree. I'm very proud of that.