Conversation with Mike Szatkowski

Conversation with...

The “senior” member of the DLS Faculty, Mike Szatkowski, ’73, left his Social Studies classroom two years ago, in the Fall of 2011, to take on a new role: Academic Support Coordinator. A DLS faculty member since 1977, Mike also continues to coach varsity football.

Why did you decide to go into teaching?

In high school, I had some really great experiences, and was blessed with some really fine teachers and coaches. Early in my college years, I decided that I wanted to be a teacher. A lot of credit goes to the men who were my teachers and coaches: the late Tony DeSantis, Rich Dobrzynski, Evo Alberti, Al Baumgart who coached football, and Paul Poledink who was one of my English teachers.

What were the characteristics of those men that left such an impression?

That’s a tough question. They did push us intellectually, and they pushed us physically on the field. Tony, Doby, and Evo were dedicated teachers. It was exciting to be in a class with them. They were fun to be around, and they obviously loved what they were doing. I enjoyed being in their classrooms; I just enjoyed school. Al Baumgart’s first year as head coach of football was my freshman year. There’s no doubt I’ve become a coach because of so many of the experiences I had under Al and his assistants. They made us better than we thought we could be. They brought the best out of an average group of players. Coaching is a rewarding experience. I see kids achieve so much more than they thought they could.

A lot of alumni would describe you the same way – as someone who was very enthusiastic in the classroom.

That’s nice to hear. One of the important qualities of a teacher is enthusiasm, and you have to have a certain level of energy to teach.

You’ve also coached throughout your career. Has that made a difference in your teaching?

My coaching experiences made me a better classroom teacher. As a coach, you’re presenting something on the field. You have to break it down into its parts. Coaching requires a certain kind of patience, and that does help out in the classroom. You see another side to the kids. And I also believe being a teacher also made me a better coach.

Do you love coaching football?

I do. Coaching has been an important part of my life, and I’ve worked with some great players and teams over the years. What you remember are those guys who were on the team who maybe didn’t play at all or played very little, but made contributions. They were great to be around at practice, and they brought a great attitude. I have been also blessed to work with great coaches, including our present staff - Paul Verska and Mike Lewis. Some great coaches who are really fine men who have in mind the best interests and development of the students. These coaches have had great personal qualities, and are great role models. They are very inspirational to me.

The word “men” is a Mike Szatkowski “trademark.” Alumni associate that word with you. Have you consciously used the word in teaching, and with your students?

I honestly don’t know what you’re talking about. Men? I never thought referring to my students as “men” as the least bit unusual. I don’t know if I started a class by saying “men” all through my career, or even if I did it at the end. It’s what we’re all about. “Builders of Boys, Makers of Men.” Students will remember and recount to me or any teacher in the building, the most bizarre stories of things that happened in the room, and these stories have nothing to do with the Greeks or Romans, or the content of your classes. Yet, they are impactful things to students.

Is it the same for you, remembering more about the teachers you had in high school than the content?

It’s remarkable to me how much of the content that is conveyed in the classroom is lost. You recall the character of the teachers. The energy. The atmosphere. I’ve forgotten a lot from high school. I forgot most of the math that Tony D. and Doby taught me, and most of the French I learned from Evo Alberti. In my present role, however, I am quickly relearning French and Math. It’s still there.

Mike Szatkowski

You’ve been here a long time. Were the kids you taught at the beginning of your career dramatically different from the kids you deal with now? Is the school different?

It seems as if kids now have more issues to deal with, and have a different world than what I am familiar with. The school has gone through various waves of change. One particular difference that strikes me now – because of my role as Academic Support Coordinator - is how our teaching philosophy has changed. At one time, DLS had a “sink or swim” philosophy toward its students. Teachers were expected to teach excellent lessons, and students were expected to hang in there and keep up. If a student didn’t get something, it was up to the student to seek help. That was our philosophy as recently as ten years ago. That philosophy has undergone a huge change and is now much more in keeping with the mission of the school. Now if we accept students, we have an obligation to see that they achieve at high levels.

You’ve changed as well, going from

the classroom into this new role. How do the two compare?

I loved teaching, and enjoyed being in the room a lot. There’s no doubt about it. There are classes I would pay money to teach. I enjoy what I’m doing now because I am being fulfilled in a different way. It’s a little harder to see results. When you’re in a classroom, you have immediate feedback. The eyes get big. You can see that something has just dawned on the student sitting there in front of you.

Describe your role as Academic Support Coordinator.

We have a lot of programs that come under the umbrella of of academic support. The program that is maybe the most important, the one that is the most innovative, the one that brings us the most rewards is the FAST program, which stands for Future Achievement Starts Today. The FAST program has a lot to it. The process of choosing students from next fall’s freshman class for the FAST program starts now. We look at their test scores, their applications and the essays they write, and the evaluations from their teachers, principal, and counselors. We also do some further testing here at DLS, starting in late January. From all that data, we choose a group of students who will benefit from some attention during the school day and after school to achieve high levels at DLS. These students have an identical course load as their classmates, and are held to the same standards, we’re just offering them support to do well in those classes and not become frustrated and drop out. They get attention from various teachers who are part of the Academic Support team - Br. Bob Carnaghi, Mrs. Suzanne Cusmano, Mrs. Stephanie Howay in the Literacy class, the after-school supervisors, National Honor Society tutors, their counselors, and me. In the not too distant past, despite the extra resources, the attrition rate for guys in FAST was about one in four, one in five. In the last two years, we have lost ZERO students.

You’ve been associated with the school for nearly 45 years – as a student, teacher, coach. What do you think about the future of DLS?

I am excited about what I see happening. We’re more in alignment with the mission of the founder, St. John Baptist de La Salle whose mission was to teach all sorts of young men. He created an Institute of Brothers dedicated to educating young men who would not otherwise be educated. What we’re doing here now is taking in students who might not have been admitted in the past or might not have prospered, and doing everything we can to see that they achieve at a high level, that they get into an excellent college. We’re helping all students - students in FAST, students in College Prep classes, students in Advanced Placement classes. I’m excited about the new IB (International Baccalaureate) program. That’s another way to help kids achieve their very best. We are helping all students. To me, that’s in keeping with the mission of St. John Baptist de La Salle. And I am very proud to be a part of that.