Ep. 6: The Manzis Squared
Being a teacher is a tough job and having a good support network really helps especially when you have fellow educators and family in your support network. But what if your spouse is a teacher, who teaches the same grade, AND the same subject?
Meet the Manzis. Maggie is an 8th grade math teacher at Manchester Essex Middle School and Rich teaches 8th grade math at North Andover Middle School. Together they share their journey toward the education field and the benefits of their shared experience teaching the same class.
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Music by Patrick Patrikios
Transcript
I think we have a good balance of talking about
Rich Manzi:our school days, and then getting in getting away from it
Rich Manzi:for a while. Usually since we teach Middle School, we usually
Rich Manzi:have a couple funny stories. And then we also talk about kind of
Rich Manzi:math stuff that we do. I know we both share a little bit if I'm
Rich Manzi:doing a lesson, and I just need one more thing. Maybe my lesson
Rich Manzi:seems like it'll be a little boring, or I'll just ask her and
Rich Manzi:she usually has something maybe a fun activity that she did when
Rich Manzi:she taught that same lesson.
Maggie Manzi:Yeah, we definitely go back and forth,
Maggie Manzi:especially sharing like, where are you? Where are you at in
Maggie Manzi:this unit, and we do have a good kind of balancing act. With more
Maggie Manzi:and more years of experience, I think we're able to kind of fall
Maggie Manzi:back on that and look at our own other experiences and the
Maggie Manzi:experiences that we've shared together.
Mr. S:That is Maggie and Rich Manzi are both eighth grade math
Mr. S:teacher. She teaches at Manchester Essex Middle School,
Mr. S:and he teaches at North Andover Middle School. They're going to
Mr. S:join us to discuss their careers and life as a married couple.
Mr. S:Join us as it's time to get schooled with Mr. S.
Mr. S:Hello, and welcome back to another show. My name is Mr. S.
Mr. S:Today, we have a special show lined up for you. I'm really
Mr. S:excited to have our next guests. They have a unique story.
Mr. S:They're married, they both teach eighth grade, and I thought it
Mr. S:would be so great to have them on for them to share their
Mr. S:experience. I know Maggie very well, I was part of the
Mr. S:committee that hired her. And I knew after a colleague had left
Mr. S:that Maggie was the choice. She is a great math teacher. She has
Mr. S:a passion for the subject to really connects well with kids.
Mr. S:And then when I learned that her husband also teaches eighth
Mr. S:grade. It was an exciting moment to book them for the show. So
Mr. S:you are in for a real treat. They are great people. They are
Mr. S:young teachers. They've got a lot of energy enthusiasm for
Mr. S:teaching and I think that will show in this interview. So I'm
Mr. S:very excited to present Maggie and Rich Manzi. And it's all
Mr. S:coming up next on Get Schooled with Mr. S.
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Mr. S:I'm really excited for a guest this week. They are rising young
Mr. S:stars in the education world. They're both eighth grade math
Mr. S:teachers. And I am so happy to have them on the program with
Mr. S:us. Please welcome Rich and Maggie Manzi to get school with
Mr. S:Mr. S.
Maggie Manzi:Thanks, Mr. S.
Rich Manzi:Thank you for having us.
Mr. S:So if you could give us a little bit of your current
Mr. S:background. Maybe Maggie, we'll start with you a little bit
Mr. S:about your career and where you are in teaching at this point.
Maggie Manzi:Yeah, so I started off in my undergrad I actually
Maggie Manzi:didn't go to school specifically for teaching. I think I always
Maggie Manzi:knew that I would end up being a teacher. But when I was an
Maggie Manzi:undergrad, I sought out different volunteer
Maggie Manzi:opportunities where I could work with students, help them with
Maggie Manzi:their homework, and just kind of build a relationship with
Maggie Manzi:students in the community where I went to college. And so after
Maggie Manzi:college, I was looking for volunteer teaching
Maggie Manzi:opportunities. And one of them that I came across was a middle
Maggie Manzi:school in New Bedford. And while I was there, I taught for I
Maggie Manzi:taught seventh and eighth grade math for two years, and that's
Maggie Manzi:really where I learned to love teaching. And from there, I
Maggie Manzi:moved up north of Boston and I taught at a Catholic school for
Maggie Manzi:a few years. I taught seventh and eighth grade math I also
Maggie Manzi:dabbled in seventh grade geography and science. And after
Maggie Manzi:my couple of years there, I am now working at the job where I
Maggie Manzi:am now teaching eighth grade math on the North Shore.
Mr. S:And that was on that hiring committee. And I knew you
Mr. S:were the one Maggie
Maggie Manzi:Oh, thank you.
Mr. S:Congrats. Rich, how about your career arc?
Rich Manzi:So I come from a family of teachers. So I had a
Rich Manzi:pretty good idea that I wanted to be a teacher at some point in
Rich Manzi:the future. I majored in education in college in New
Rich Manzi:Hampshire. And then similar to Maggie, I wanted to continue
Rich Manzi:teaching after college, and I looked for volunteer
Rich Manzi:opportunities. And the school that we both taught at right
Rich Manzi:after college, down in New Bedford was actually through
Rich Manzi:AmeriCorps. So we both taught there for two years. She taught,
Rich Manzi:like she said, seventh and eighth grade math, she taught
Rich Manzi:sort of the faster pace. And I thought, though slower paced
Rich Manzi:classes of seventh and eighth grade math. And then after the
Rich Manzi:two years were up, I came north of Boston, and I taught at I
Rich Manzi:taught seventh grade math at a charter school. And then after
Rich Manzi:three years there, I got a job at another this I'm a public
Rich Manzi:school, north of Boston, and now I teach eighth grade math and
Rich Manzi:algebra,
Mr. S:you both teaching eighth grade math, what a journey. And
Mr. S:is that what you meant at the that's, I'm assuming that's
Mr. S:where you met your world teachers at that school?
Maggie Manzi:Yes. at the school in New Bedford, that's where we
Maggie Manzi:met the first school that we taught at after college. Yep.
Mr. S:One of the things that made me laugh, you were both in
Mr. S:the hiring market, correct for the jobs at the same time? Did
Mr. S:you directly go versus each other? With interviewing? How
Mr. S:did that work?
Maggie Manzi:So we were both at this second school where we
Maggie Manzi:work, we were both working on getting our masters at the same
Maggie Manzi:time. And so after we got our masters, we were looking for a
Maggie Manzi:new job. And we did we were looking at the same time, so we
Maggie Manzi:would kind of tell each other? Oh, did you see that pose? Or
Maggie Manzi:are you going to fly to that one. But we never directly
Maggie Manzi:competed for the same job?
Rich Manzi:Yeah, we never applied for the same job, at
Rich Manzi:least I don't think we did. And then we got very lucky with the
Rich Manzi:schools that we ended up at, but that they were both available
Rich Manzi:that same year at same time. And it ended up we teach the exact
Rich Manzi:same thing. So we got very lucky
Mr. S:two great school districts eighth grade for both
Mr. S:sometimes my feeling towards education is is sometimes I like
Mr. S:to talk shop. And other times I get that when the last bell
Mr. S:rings, I just want to go home and just forget about it for a
Mr. S:while. Where do the two of you fall upon that? Do you like to
Mr. S:talk shop a lot? Sometimes never? Like how does that work
Mr. S:in your house?
Rich Manzi:I think we have a good balance of talking about
Rich Manzi:our school days, and then getting it getting away from it
Rich Manzi:for a while. Usually, since we teach Middle School, we usually
Rich Manzi:have a couple funny stories. I mean, the students keep us
Rich Manzi:entertained that both our schools, and we usually have at
Rich Manzi:least one or two funny stories pretty much every day. So I look
Rich Manzi:forward to hearing her stories. And I hope she looks forward to
Rich Manzi:hearing my stories. And, and then we also talk about kind of
Rich Manzi:mass stuff that we do. I know we both share a little bit if I'm
Rich Manzi:doing a lesson and I just need one more thing. Maybe my lesson
Rich Manzi:seems like it'll be a little boring, or I'll just ask her.
Rich Manzi:And she usually has something maybe a fun activity that she
Rich Manzi:did when she taught that same lesson. So we're able to bounce
Rich Manzi:ideas off each other. And then after that, then we can kind of
Rich Manzi:I feel like then we relax once we share all of that and talk
Rich Manzi:about other stuff that's going on.
Mr. S:So Maggie, you throw some fun ideas. Rich's way?
Maggie Manzi:Yeah, we definitely go back and forth,
Maggie Manzi:especially sharing like, where are you? Where are you at in
Maggie Manzi:this unit. Um, and we do have a good kind of balancing act. I do
Maggie Manzi:think we'll spend some time he briefing. And we really do try
Maggie Manzi:to leave weekends as time away from school, if we can.
Mr. S:Any advice towards people in this similar situation is
Mr. S:married couple who are teachers, any advice for navigating at
Mr. S:all, because that is challenging.
Rich Manzi:I think we have a lot of fun with it. I think that
Rich Manzi:helps. Especially if one of us comes home from a stressful day.
Rich Manzi:Or if we have any stressful situation at school. It's kind
Rich Manzi:of nice to hear a different perspective of someone who's
Rich Manzi:probably I feel like we go through the same things just at
Rich Manzi:different times. So if I've been through it before, I can kind of
Rich Manzi:listen and then know when to give advice or when to change
Rich Manzi:the subject. And she's the same way if she experienced something
Rich Manzi:already. So we have a good balance and we kind of help each
Rich Manzi:other out. So I think it's rare that we both come home. guns
Rich Manzi:blazing. Yeah, but we're usually at least one of us is there to
Rich Manzi:kind of hear each other out and then we can move forward from
Rich Manzi:there.
Maggie Manzi:Yeah, I think it comes like with more and more
Maggie Manzi:more years of experience, I think we're able to kind of fall
Maggie Manzi:back on that and look at our own other experiences. And like Rick
Maggie Manzi:mentioned, the experiences that we've shared together to kind of
Maggie Manzi:be like, Oh, yeah, that reminds me of this situation. And, you
Maggie Manzi:know, just use those years of experience that we do have.
Mr. S:The COVID era have been for you. Do you have times where
Mr. S:you were both teaching remotely at home? Or did that overlap us?
Mr. S:Can you talk a little bit about the year with COVID?
Rich Manzi:Yeah, I think it's definitely been difficult. We
Rich Manzi:had different experiences. At the beginning, our schools kind
Rich Manzi:of went different directions. I know she was just posting, you
Rich Manzi:can speak to this mag, I think she was posting like, once a
Rich Manzi:week, maybe. And I know, the school wasn't really teaching
Rich Manzi:new things at first. And then my school kind of took a couple
Rich Manzi:weeks off, and we weren't doing anything at all. And then I felt
Rich Manzi:like our schools were on completely different pages, both
Rich Manzi:trying to just do the best that they can. And I think all
Rich Manzi:teachers were a little bit stressed out just not knowing
Rich Manzi:what was going to happen. And it was interesting to see that both
Rich Manzi:our schools were doing completely different things. But
Rich Manzi:they all they definitely both had the same goal in mind. They
Rich Manzi:wanted to do what's best for the kids. And they were just trying
Rich Manzi:to find ways to do that. So we definitely both appreciated
Rich Manzi:that.
Maggie Manzi:Yeah, I think and then once kind of the this
Maggie Manzi:school year started, my score our score, he started remote and
Maggie Manzi:Rich started hybrid. So I think that that schedule was
Maggie Manzi:different. And then we kind of laughed about it too, because
Maggie Manzi:every single week, I feel like our schedule was different. I
Maggie Manzi:was home and he was in or I would pick a different day to
Maggie Manzi:stay home because we had that option pick two days of the week
Maggie Manzi:to stay home. He was remote on Wednesdays, or then we would
Maggie Manzi:have a day off. So I think at the beginning of the year in
Maggie Manzi:terms of the schedule, that was a little bit difficult to manage
Maggie Manzi:just because every single week was different. I feel like now,
Maggie Manzi:more than halfway through the year his schedule, because he
Maggie Manzi:has been hybrid. This since the beginning of the school year,
Maggie Manzi:it's a little more consistent. And now that we've recently
Maggie Manzi:started hybrid, I feel like that's more consistent now too.
Maggie Manzi:But definitely at the beginning of the year, that was a little
Maggie Manzi:stressful having that schedule change every week.
Rich Manzi:Definitely. And also, that was one thing that we
Rich Manzi:talked about recently when her school was switching to the
Rich Manzi:hybrid model. And my advice was that your school is going to be
Rich Manzi:figuring it out every day and don't expect everything to go
Rich Manzi:smoothly. For a while, that was my advice, because I remember
Rich Manzi:the beginning of our year when we jumped right into hybrid. It
Rich Manzi:felt like every day was something brand new that we had
Rich Manzi:never seen before. And we were just kind of figuring it out on
Rich Manzi:the run. And I think Maggie felt the same way, at least at the
Rich Manzi:beginning. So I'm hoping now we're getting towards the end of
Rich Manzi:the year. I know I feel a lot better about my schedule, I at
Rich Manzi:least have a good idea. And my school has done an awesome job
Rich Manzi:of planning each week planning each trimester keeping everyone
Rich Manzi:informed. And and I think now Maggie school is starting to get
Rich Manzi:into that same rhythm.
Maggie Manzi:Yeah, it's definitely nice to have that
Maggie Manzi:structure and to finally see kids back in the classroom.
Maggie Manzi:That's been an awesome addition.
Mr. S:What a difference between the spring remote learning and
Mr. S:the fall, I think, as Richard was saying, the spring just
Mr. S:caught everyone off guard and everyone was just kind of trying
Mr. S:to make it till tomorrow. I think the for the districts had
Mr. S:some time, we had some time to kind of rearm over the summer
Mr. S:and come out with something. And yet the districts came with many
Mr. S:different plans. I think now we're headed towards that full
Mr. S:return here in Massachusetts. But the districts have gone
Mr. S:through a lot. Can you talk about some things you might have
Mr. S:learned in the COVID era that you think that will be helpful
Mr. S:for you just going forward?
Maggie Manzi:I think I've learned new ways to incorporate
Maggie Manzi:technology and kind of new ways to engage students. Since I have
Maggie Manzi:students now I have students zooming into my class and I have
Maggie Manzi:students in front of me, I have to kind of balance How am I
Maggie Manzi:engaging everyone at the same time. So I try to utilize
Maggie Manzi:different online math activities, which and I both use
Maggie Manzi:I Excel a lot. There's great math tool that I use called
Maggie Manzi:Desmos. And those are ways where I can kind of track students
Maggie Manzi:progress, whether they're in front of me or if they're at
Maggie Manzi:home. So I think that those have been really two great tools that
Maggie Manzi:I've been able to gauge how students are doing Whether
Maggie Manzi:they're in front of me or if they're at home?
Rich Manzi:Yeah, I think we've learned a lot. Doing all these
Rich Manzi:models, we learned a lot of new things. And technology is
Rich Manzi:definitely a huge one, I'm definitely way more comfortable
Rich Manzi:with all the Virtual Learning google classroom, and all the
Rich Manzi:online tools that we can use to give students opportunities to
Rich Manzi:practice math, and give them feedback. And all of that I
Rich Manzi:think even more than that, is doing activities and doing fun
Rich Manzi:stuff with the students. I've looked up a lot of activities,
Rich Manzi:Maggie and I actually have a shared document of fun
Rich Manzi:activities that we can do with students, whether it's online or
Rich Manzi:in person. And we just keep adding to that when we hear of
Rich Manzi:new things. I definitely appreciate having students in
Rich Manzi:front of me, even though I only see each kid twice a week, with
Rich Manzi:the hybrid model. I really look forward to those days. And I
Rich Manzi:love having that time with my students. And I know Maggie
Rich Manzi:feels the same way. I think she has even less kids than I do in
Rich Manzi:front of her. But it definitely makes you appreciate it when you
Rich Manzi:don't see kids for a while and you try to just teach them
Rich Manzi:virtually. So when you get them in person, I really want to take
Rich Manzi:the time to get to know them do something fun. And then get to
Rich Manzi:the math after that.
Mr. S:One thing that Maggie and I had done, we brought the
Mr. S:seventh and eighth grade classes together. And now I said Oh,
Mr. S:geez, that's a no no in this COVID here, but we pulled it off
Mr. S:on zoom. You know, we had what what Maggie? Maybe about 5055
Mr. S:kids? And yeah, again, it was fun.
Maggie Manzi:Yeah, they love to use the breakout rooms. Yeah,
Maggie Manzi:that's great.
Mr. S:So I read these posts on social media, some of them
Mr. S:range, like, we've got to get the kids back to the classroom.
Mr. S:Now they have learning loss. And then I read these flowery ones
Mr. S:like, it's okay, as long as they learn to plant a seed or
Mr. S:something like that. What are the two of you stand on that? Or
Mr. S:are you worried about learning loss? So we just take it in
Mr. S:stride? How do you see yourself on that question?
Rich Manzi:I would say, first, I'm glad I don't have to make
Rich Manzi:those decisions. Because I can't imagine how hard that is to be
Rich Manzi:in those shoes of someone actually making those decisions
Rich Manzi:with all the different input coming from teachers and
Rich Manzi:parents. And I don't know what's right or wrong, or what's best
Rich Manzi:for anyone. But I definitely, I think, just by default of what
Rich Manzi:happened last spring, mainly Something had to have been lost.
Rich Manzi:I and I think that's unfortunate for the kids. But I think this
Rich Manzi:year, with all the work that the schools have done, I think
Rich Manzi:they've done the best they can and I don't think it'll be too
Rich Manzi:significant in the long run as long as we can. I think we're on
Rich Manzi:track to get back to something close to normal pretty soon. And
Rich Manzi:I'm hoping that there won't be any significant negative effects
Rich Manzi:moving forward.
Maggie Manzi:Yeah, I totally agree with Rich, I think he put
Maggie Manzi:that nicely. So I'm just gonna agree with what he said.
Rich Manzi:Thank you.
Mr. S:That's great. Can you picture each other teaching in
Mr. S:the classroom? do things like your husband or wife is a
Mr. S:teacher is different than how you see them? Like day to day?
Mr. S:Is there any? Do you have a vision of them or in your mind?
Maggie Manzi:I mean, it's been a few years since I have seen
Maggie Manzi:him teach recently. But I think that we both if I'm picturing
Maggie Manzi:him in the classroom, I think we both bring a lot of fun energy
Maggie Manzi:to the classroom. And I think it that's reflective in our
Maggie Manzi:personalities outside of the classroom, too.
Rich Manzi:I completely agree. And I think another thing to add
Rich Manzi:to that is like structure, I think we're both really big with
Rich Manzi:structure and middle school kids need that more than ever. And I
Rich Manzi:think we're both really good about that. Because that's
Rich Manzi:really how we live our lives outside of school as well. So
Rich Manzi:when we get in school, we want to have an agenda. We want to
Rich Manzi:hold kids accountable. And in the long run, in the short run,
Rich Manzi:I think kids appreciate that. And they know that you have a
Rich Manzi:plan and you know what you're doing, and you're going to
Rich Manzi:follow through with what you say. And I think we both do
Rich Manzi:that. And like she said, I've been around her teaching when we
Rich Manzi:first came out of college. So I pretty much have a good idea of
Rich Manzi:how she's doing things now.
Mr. S:That's great. No, and I always just say, my own mind. I
Mr. S:want them ready for Mrs. Manzi's class. So he's trying to do my
Mr. S:best to my end. Send them to grade eight. Ready to go. So you
Mr. S:do I go for sure. And there's a third member of the family I
Mr. S:understand.
Maggie Manzi:Yes, little Kirby.
Rich Manzi:Yeah, our black lab Kirby to be clear.
Mr. S:And how old is Kirby?
Maggie Manzi:he's a little over a year. His birthday was
Maggie Manzi:February 17. Just in time for February break. His birthday was
Maggie Manzi:February breaks. That was great. spend the whole day with them.
Mr. S:So So pre COVID, where they put us all up on stage Rich
Mr. S:and I wanted to announce that the two of you got married, but
Mr. S:the accolades I don't know what happened there. So that was a
Mr. S:funny moment. I was gonna make the announcement for a whole
Mr. S:Bunch of cheering, but
Rich Manzi:I thought you should.
Mr. S:I know I should have but she gave me She gave me that
Mr. S:look as well. Okay, better not me. We were a small math
Mr. S:department with only three of us. So I want to make sure I
Mr. S:keep everything...
Rich Manzi:I completely understand. Yeah,
Mr. S:definitely. What's the future gonna hold? Do you think
Mr. S:in education? Is it is? Is there going to be major changes in
Mr. S:terms of class size or attitude towards teachers? do you what do
Mr. S:you see major changes? Or is it quote back to normal as people
Mr. S:seem to want? We want our kids back? Where do you see that?
Rich Manzi:I think as far as the classroom stuff goes, I
Rich Manzi:think this showed how important in person learning is and the
Rich Manzi:face to face aspect of it. I think any thought of kind of
Rich Manzi:letting technology take over doing the majority of your work
Rich Manzi:through technology or just giving them work to do online. I
Rich Manzi:think that thought process is kind of taken a step backwards,
Rich Manzi:I know, I'm definitely going to continue to use all of the tools
Rich Manzi:that I've learned. And I'll use them a lot, definitely more than
Rich Manzi:I did in the past. But the face to face and the personal
Rich Manzi:interactions with the kids. I think we see how that's more
Rich Manzi:important than ever. And I think that's gonna just take a huge
Rich Manzi:role in the future.
Maggie Manzi:Yeah, I think that from this, like Rich mentioned,
Maggie Manzi:I think teachers have learned a lot about how to incorporate
Maggie Manzi:different technologies. But there's nothing like having a
Maggie Manzi:student in front of you seeing that students see how they're
Maggie Manzi:doing, emotionally, not just how they're doing on math. I think
Maggie Manzi:that's, that's irreplaceable. And I think moving forward, will
Maggie Manzi:still continue to see that as an essential thing that we need to
Maggie Manzi:have in the classroom, that teacher student relationship.
Mr. S:And that was a thing that I discussed in a prior episode
Mr. S:before COVID. I was wondering, well automated or robots
Mr. S:replace? And, and obviously, the answer is a resounding no. You
Mr. S:know, I, I did not expect the virtual to be so bumpy, you
Mr. S:know. But I think you're right, it shows the importance of us as
Mr. S:teachers in the classroom for sure. So, so there are I guess
Mr. S:there are some good things that will come out of this, who else
Mr. S:you lean on besides each other after a tough day.
Maggie Manzi:Oh, I have still some other friends that I met
Maggie Manzi:the first school that I worked at who are also teachers. So I
Maggie Manzi:talk to them a lot just to see how they're doing in the code
Maggie Manzi:COVID era to what their schools are up to. And my other college
Maggie Manzi:friends, a couple of them are teachers, my family. Yeah,
Maggie Manzi:really just family and friends, they have great advice as an
Maggie Manzi:outsider looking in, and some people who are in it as well,
Maggie Manzi:kind of getting all of their perspectives to help us out
Maggie Manzi:during during these tough times too. And so we can kind of share
Maggie Manzi:those funny stories. You know, it's it's a balancing act, for
Maggie Manzi:sure, for sure.
Rich Manzi:Yeah, I really agree with family and friends,
Rich Manzi:especially because we have family. In the teaching
Rich Manzi:business, I have two sisters, two older sisters who are both
Rich Manzi:teachers. So I can bounce ideas or thoughts off of them anytime.
Rich Manzi:But my closest friends are not teachers. So if I ever want to
Rich Manzi:take my mind off of teaching, I can text or call any one of
Rich Manzi:those guys. And that'll definitely take my mind off it.
Rich Manzi:And also, and I think Maggie would say the same thing our
Rich Manzi:teaching teams, at our schools are other people that we can
Rich Manzi:talk to I know, I'm super lucky to work with my team at my
Rich Manzi:school, and I am the newest teacher. By far I work with a
Rich Manzi:veteran team. There's some younger teachers on it, but
Rich Manzi:they're definitely experienced and they know what they're
Rich Manzi:doing. And if I ever have questions or thoughts or
Rich Manzi:anything, we have a group text. And we can talk to each other
Rich Manzi:anytime. So I know I appreciate everything my team has done for
Rich Manzi:me since joining the school.
Maggie Manzi:I have a great team as well. They're super
Maggie Manzi:supportive, great mentors for me the past couple of years and
Maggie Manzi:especially during this time, too.
Mr. S:I think your story is so cool being married both teaching
Mr. S:eighth grade, the eighth graders pick up on that do they ask
Mr. S:questions about your spouse if they enjoy those stories?
Maggie Manzi:I have mentioned it a few times this year but I
Maggie Manzi:think it more maybe catches them off guard by know that they talk
Maggie Manzi:about it maybe not in front of me.
Mr. S:Oh,
Rich Manzi:I've had Yeah, I've had students ask and they
Rich Manzi:they're obsessed with that in the past. I've had just random
Rich Manzi:groups of students. I know when I taught at the charter school,
Rich Manzi:they were very curious. They would ask a lot of personal
Rich Manzi:questions. And they couldn't believe that I would be with
Rich Manzi:another math teacher. They thought that was the craziest
Rich Manzi:thing ever. And I've had groups at my school now. Also think
Rich Manzi:that that is very funny. Back to math teachers married together.
Rich Manzi:That's great.
Mr. S:Well, I do the same thing as like the 14 year old inside
Mr. S:of me going really that so it's just, I think just that it's
Mr. S:it's unique. It's, you know, there's people married who are
Mr. S:teachers, but you've got the exact same grade the exact same
Mr. S:subject. I think there's a uniqueness to that. And I think
Mr. S:that is a nice way to connect with middle schoolers. You know,
Mr. S:they might not remember every equation, but they may remember
Mr. S:that little story, that little tidbit. They like to connect
Mr. S:with us in a personal way. I think, too.
Maggie Manzi:Definitely. We're very lucky.
Mr. S:Yeah, for sure. Now, my final question, do you have
Mr. S:advice for married couples? Who are both teachers? Just in
Mr. S:general, this is something that works well for you. It To me,
Mr. S:it's very unique situation, what would you say to other married
Mr. S:couples in a similar situation as yours,
Rich Manzi:I would say that you have to have fun with it, and
Rich Manzi:support each other. Pretty simple. But I think that's what
Rich Manzi:we do. And it works. And so far, so good. I have no complaints.
Rich Manzi:Whenever we need someone to talk to or if we just need to relax.
Rich Manzi:I think we can both sense that on each other. And we can have a
Rich Manzi:full on conversation or we can just relax and watch TV or just
Rich Manzi:hang out or something like that. So just relax, support each
Rich Manzi:other and have fun with it.
Maggie Manzi:Yeah, I think we've found a good kind of
Maggie Manzi:balancing act for each other to kind of debrief where we need to
Maggie Manzi:but also just kind of stay away from it. And you know, just
Maggie Manzi:relax a night if you have to.
Mr. S:Well, all the sounds great. I saw your birth years
Mr. S:and it was eye popping. Well, I'll just tell the audience they
Mr. S:are they are rising young stars. I'll underline the word young.
Mr. S:And they are together and teaching eighth grade and doing
Mr. S:a beautiful job. Rich and Maggie Manzi. Thank you so much for
Mr. S:joining me on Get Schooled.
Rich Manzi:Thank you for having us. Yeah.
Maggie Manzi:Thanks so much.
Mr. S:Once again, I'd like to thank our guests Rich and Maggie
Mr. S:Manzi, for joining us on Get Schooled with Mr. S. Now it's
Mr. S:time for my raise your hand portion of the show where we
Mr. S:answer listeners questions. I feel it's important to hear from
Mr. S:parents and teachers around the nation and share our collective
Mr. S:experiences. So in order for you to get in touch with the show,
Mr. S:you may tweet us @GetSchooled_pod or email us
Mr. S:GetSchooledwithMrS@gmail.com. So raise your hand and join the
Mr. S:conversation like Andy from Ohio, Andy emails. Mr. S. I
Mr. S:listened to this podcast on my commute home from school every
Mr. S:Friday. I want to know what you do to help an underachieving
Mr. S:student. I have a student that has the ability to do well. But
Mr. S:for whatever reason does not apply himself and prefers to
Mr. S:coast through the class doing the bare minimum. I look forward
Mr. S:to hearing your answer. Thanks for raising your hand. Andy. I
Mr. S:don't know what level you teach Andy. But I do think one of the
Mr. S:things that's really important is to stay positive with the
Mr. S:student. So you may think that you have an A student who has a
Mr. S:75 average, but you never want to communicate that in that way.
Mr. S:You want to find little things is your student very good with
Mr. S:helping others is your student good at solving word problems.
Mr. S:If you can start small, that can sometimes lead to a connection
Mr. S:later on. Get to know your student on a personal level,
Mr. S:they are an athlete, they have a hobby, all those things are
Mr. S:important they make a difference for students. And then what I
Mr. S:would also suggest is to bring in the parents and send an email
Mr. S:or phone call. But again, frame it in a positive way that you're
Mr. S:excited about your student's ability and how can they support
Mr. S:you because they know the student best? Thanks for raising
Mr. S:your handy Andy. Once again, if you want to join the show, you
Mr. S:can reach us on Twitter @GetSchooled_pod or by email
Mr. S:GetSchooledwithmrs@gmail.com. That's a wrap for this week's
Mr. S:podcast. Don't forget to subscribe on Apple podcasts,
Mr. S:Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you are
Mr. S:enjoying the show, or have any suggestions, leave us a rating
Mr. S:and a review. always appreciate it. Or connect with us on
Mr. S:Twitter @GetSchooled_pod, email,
Mr. S:GetSchooledwithmrs@gmail.com. Today's show was produced and
Mr. S:edited by the bear cat group. Music by Patrick Patrick years.
Mr. S:Thanks for listening to Get Schooled with Mr. S. See you
