Posted by Mrs. Tozzi’s Secret to Success
By Lila Disciullo, Writer
Ms. Tozzi may be known for sneaking rubber ducks into your bag or wearing fun colorful sweaters, but have you ever wondered if she beholds any secrets? Tozzi, a language teacher at New Paltz High school since 1994, describes herself to be like a bagel, “crusty and mean on the outside, but on the inside, all smooshy!”
Tozzi isn’t actually a woman of many secrets, but she is a bit of a prankster. If you walk the halls of New Paltz High School, you may open your bag and find a little colorful plastic duck. This is in fact the doing of Tozzi. Most people might think she’s doing this to annoy her students, but her purpose may be to support her students throughout the school day.
“There’s no purpose to it; like some deeper message: it’s not like you have to be part of a club to have them,” Tozzi explains. “And it’s just like fun, I mean we have trophy cases for people who do athletic stuff and it’s nice just to see the faces of kids who just go here and it’s funny and silly and just fun.”
The concept of ducking people is just one reason why Tozzi loves teaching at the high school level. “I think that middle school students are so worried about being mature, that they’re not willing to enjoy the little kid stuff. In high school, you see kids doing stuff like bringing Hello Kitty lunch boxes to school but at the same time thinking about their future and the future of society,” Tozzi explains. “I like that combination. They can still be childlike and hopeful but also serious.”
The vibrantly dressed Language teacher can’t identify a mistake she’s made through the course of her career, but there are events that have maybe changed the route. In college, Tozzi was offered the opportunity to travel abroad with a literature program. However, she did not accept because it would have extended her graduation by a year. “Sometimes, I wonder what would happen if I didn’t do that but I think the important thing is to make a choice, and choose your best option for you,” Tozzi advises. “I wouldn’t have gotten this job if I did accept it.”
From a young age Tozzi has always loved reading and writing. She says it was a sort of a refuge and an escape from reality as a kid. With a major in Education and a minor in Educational Psychology, Tozzi says she was interested in learning about the students as people, “not just scores on a test.”
One thing that Tozzi says changed her outlook on teaching was taking immersive graduate courses through Syracuse University. While studying film and writing, she felt as if a lightbulb turned on. Tozzi came to the realisation that she could use her love of movies in very important ways in the classroom. “I teach here, not only because more and more of our students are majoring in film and related studies, but because they are learning to investigate their own role in the world and carry this skill beyond high school.” she states.
Not every day is perfect though. “A bad day is when everyone is striving to do the minimum. I felt like for a long time at New Paltz High School we definitely met the minimum of what we had to do for kids,” This has changed in today’s day though, and she is very grateful for that.
“I love what I do, and I feel really lucky to be doing something that I love while supporting my family.” Tozzi says with a smile on her face.
The Maroon 