Tech Teacher a Constant in an Ever-Changing World

At the conclusion of the 2010-11 school year, West Morris Central High School will bid farewell to one of its most beloved and longest-tenured faculty members, technology teacher Greg Quaglio.

Quaglio, who is completing 34th and final year as a teacher at West Morris, has seen several changes take place in Long Valley since he began teaching here in 1977.

“When I first started teaching here, this was largely farmland,” said Quaglio. “On opening day of hunting season, you’d have very few people in class. Now, you have a full class, save one or two students.”

The subject matter of Quaglio’s classes has also changed over the years, from an industrial arts-based curriculum that included metal-working and machine shop classes to a technology-based curriculum that has included robotics and pre-engineering courses, as well as computer-aided design (CAD) and video production classes as technology has progressed.

The varied subject matter has allowed Quaglio to encounter a wide array of students over the course of his career.

“The vast majority have been all college-bound individuals, either a four-year college or a two-year college, which I think is a wise move these days,” said Quaglio. “It’s been a real diverse bunch of individuals.”

Changing technology has also required Quaglio to keep up with the times to ensure his students’ ability to work with some of the most cutting-edge technology of that era.

“Several years ago, a man named Peter Martini taught here,” said Quaglio. “He taught Latin. He stopped, poked his head in the room and said to me, ‘How do you teach this? It’s always changing; Latin hasn’t changed in 2000 years.’ He was right.”

The extra effort, however, has paid off several times over Quaglio’s career in the form of seeing his students succeed.

“The gratification comes from seeing a student try something new and, in most cases, be successful at it, and seeing the student gratification as a result of that success,” said Quaglio.

Success in Quaglio’s classroom has inspired several students over the years to succeed in life, even in tough times.

“One of the things that was really gratifying is when I met a student who came back several years after being graduated. In conversation, I said to him, ‘When did you graduate?’ I caught myself, because I wasn’t sure he did graduate. I recall an incident at the end of the year where the student was having some difficulty and considering dropping out,” said Quaglio. “The individual said to me at that time, ‘Oh no, I graduated. I was gonna quit, and you talked me out of it.’ That was a big shock; I didn’t realize that. I guess it shows you that you never know the kind of effect you have on adolescents until possibly some years later.

“That type of thing has happened frequently, where they tell you how much they enjoyed class, or they tell you they’re working in a particular field which you nurtured,” continued Quaglio. “Now, we have a lot of kids going on to engineering schools, and they come back and tell you that they are further ahead in their studies as a result of what they learned here in our department. That’s very gratifying; it really makes you feel good.”

Most of all, Quaglio has enjoyed being a part of the close-knit West Morris community over his years teaching at the school.

“That’s really been terrific, and I think that’s one of the things that’s kept me not only in the job, but here at West Morris,” said Quaglio. “The community has just been very receptive and extremely supportive over the years, whether its seeing somebody at graduation who thanks you for what you’ve done with their child, or you get an e-mail that tells you their kids are doing very well in college.

“I’m gonna miss it; I really will. Of course, there are aspects to every job that you don’t look forward to, but one of the aspects I do look forward to is just being with the kids I’ve had in class over the years,” continued Quaglio. “That will be missed.”