Background
Mrs. Governali is my College Fundamentals of Pre-Calc teacher this year. Not only does she teach College Fundamentals of Pre-Calc, but she also teaches Algebra 2 this year. Mrs. Governali has been teaching in Hauppauge since 2002, this year being her 22nd year of teaching at Hauppauge. She began her journey to become a teacher at Oneonta University where she majored in mathematics for a year and then transferred to St.Joseph’s where she got her teaching degree. After graduating from St.Joseph’s, she decided to get her masters from Stony Brook. Mrs. Governali didn’t always know she wanted to be a math teacher, she just knew she had always been good at math. Her mom was the person who suggested she try teaching so she took her advice and tried out being a math teacher assistant in a high school and she fell in love with teaching math.
Teaching Method
Since Mrs. Governali teaches math, it is pretty consistent with the way other math teachers teach. In almost every math class, you receive a math packet at the beginning of the unit and every day you will do one unit with the teacher writing the notes in the front of the room. After the unit, there is almost always one or two pages of homework that are due the next day. Then at the end of the unit, we receive a review sheet which we do in class, and then we take the test. This has been the same for me at least over the last 4 years of high school, but this year there were a couple of additions. Mrs.Governali puts her all into making sure every student in the class understands certain concepts. She is always willing to go back and re-explain anything that a student does not understand. If she feels like students are struggling with certain units, she will take an extra day to give us more practice or go back to a unit and do another problem to make sure what she is learning makes sense. Additionally, she will give us two or more review sheets to make sure we are fully prepared for the test that is ahead. She reminds us often that she has extra and she is always flexible with her schedule if certain extra help days don’t work for a certain student. As students, we are extremely grateful for the extra effort she puts into her job every day. All her students appreciate everything she does that most other teachers don’t do.
Impact
Every day, Mrs.Governali comes to work wearing a smile. Regardless of what has happened during her day, she brings a cheerful attitude to her teaching every day. When you step into her classroom, anyone can tell she’s passionate about her job. While many students often feel scared of their math teacher, Mrs.Governali ensures every student feels supported and encouraged to ask questions. She dedicated herself to creating a safe learning environment for all. Whether through additional extra help days or detailed review materials, her kindness and care leave a lasting impression on every one of her students. Mrs.Governali’s dedication and positivity inspire me to approach every day of life with positivity and give me the confidence to pursue what I enjoy and what I am good at in life.
