Mrs. Melinda Piccirillo is a teacher at Scott High School.

Piccirillo started teaching in 1975.

“I’ve been teaching for 49 years, next year will make 50,” Piccirillo said.

 Piccirillo said that she has wanted to be a teacher for as long as she can remember.

“Ever since I was a little girl, I have always wanted to be a teacher. My mom and my grandmother were

teachers, and it inspired me to be a teacher,” Piccirillo said.

Piccirillo said she enjoys teaching because it means a lot to her to be in someone’s life as someone

who taught them some of the things that they know.

She has been teaching at Scott for the past two years as a substitute teacher because she retired a while ago but still wants to teach. She said it is not always easy.

“One time when a student challenged my authority in class was when the student(s) refused to do the work I handed out and wouldn’t listen to my instructions,” Piccirillo said.

The rule in her classroom is no eating, do not talk when she is talking, and listen to her instructions. She said these rules make it easier to work with students.  

“Every day during my lunch period, I allow students to come into my class, and I tutor them and help them with what they need help with,” Piccirillo said.

Piccirillo said she has taught preschool, kindergarten,1st grade, and 2nd grade. She is also subbed for different middle school grades. Last year, she subbed 9th grade English, and this year, she is subbing 10th grade geometry.

Piccirillo said she does not have a specific subject that she prefers to teach. She just enjoys teaching.

One of her typical lessons is communication with the class; she does not like to use much technology; instead, she prefers to do her lessons and explain it on a whiteboard in front of the class.

She said her greatest challenge was that since she has been teaching for so long, she does not remember her student-teaching experiences. A difficult situation she has experienced in class was nothing but her students refusing to do the assignments she assigned.

“If a student is late to class, I expect an explanation,” Piccirillo said. “If a student refused to do the work I assign them, I will simply give them detention hall.”

Piccirillo lives in Boone County and said she enjoys being a part of Boone County kids’ education.

“I enjoy teaching because it makes me extremely happy knowing that I have helped someone learn,” Piccirillo said.

She said her teaching style is very hands-on.  She enjoys group work and communication and does not use technology.