BY EMMA CEPLINSKAS
Family man, motocrosser, and long time English teacher, Pasquale DiBenedetto is one of Malden High School’s finest.
DiBenedetto’s high school experience contrasts greatly from the atmosphere at MHS. DiBenedetto attended an East Boston all-boys parochial school, St. Dominic Savio High School, in which “[he] had to wear a shirt and tie to school” which is very different from the diverse styles at MHS. “The entire student body consisted of 350 students,” mentioned DiBenedetto, a very small number of students per-class in comparison to MHS. There was a smaller variety of sports, clubs, and electives at his school; nonetheless he was “highly involved in [the activities] that were offered.” In comparison, the curriculum of DiBenedetto’s high school was “rigorous” as discipline and respect were “staples of [his] learning,” much like at MHS.
He later went on to study at Boston College where he majored in English and received both his undergraduate and graduate degree. Right out of college he began his teaching career and it has now been a total of fourteen years that he has taught at MHS. DiBenedetto “love[s] th ediversity that is reflected in [MHS’] student population and learning about the customs of students [here].”
This year DiBenedetto teaches the senior elective Through the Looking Glass and English 11 Honors. He enjoys “discussing the multiple interpretations of a text with [his] students and listening to how they justify their positions.” He hopes his “students will continue to be critical readers and consider each text on a global scale” as well as “possess the literacy skills necessary for their future prosperity in college, the military or the work force.”
Besides helping his students in English class, he hopes“ [his] students [use] strategies that will extend beyond [his] subject and the classroom.” It is of great importance to him that “[his] students’ ability to transfer these skills into other fields or vocations,” which is something that “[he] takes great pride in.”
Even though he is a teacher, he “learn[s] something new each day about the cultures of [his] students.”
Besides teaching English and spending quality time with his wife and son who are “very dear to [him],” DiBenedetto also enjoys reading, running, and weightlifting. Something that not many would guess about him is that he rides motocross, cross country racing on motorcycles. He also happens to be fluent in Italian.
His “classroom door is always open for those in need of academic advice or support, even upon graduation.”
