The Student News Site of Westborough High School

The Lobby Observer

The Student News Site of Westborough High School

The Lobby Observer

The Student News Site of Westborough High School

The Lobby Observer

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Mrs. Palladino: a teacher with diverse experiences and wisdom

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By:  Carol Liu   

You might have her for Spanish or perhaps she was your ESL teacher when you were five years old. WHS teacher Mrs. Palladino has taught English, currently teaches Spanish, runs a business, and is a wonderful person to boot. Mrs. Palladino is a teacher with very diverse experiences, and you’ll be in awe of how much she does (and maybe you’ll realize you had her all these years ago)!

This is Mrs. Palladino’s sixth year teaching at WHS, but she has worked in the district for twelve years, and has taught Westborough students at every age range. Teaching has always been a passion and even at 14 years old, she would tutor students as helping people came naturally to her.

Prior to teaching Spanish at WHS, she taught English to young ESL or “English as a Second Language” students at Hastings Elementary School. Mrs. Palladino reflects warmly of working with her younger ESL students, describing how “going to work was the happiest place”, and how her students were very kind. Even so, she has a hard time deciding if she prefers working with older students or younger students, as each age range has its special parts. Working with older students is more challenging than working with younger students.  Older students have to think about college, about their future endeavors, and this added weight motivates her as a teacher.

Mrs. Palladino has always cared deeply about her students. When asked about what it’s like to see certain students grow up, from being a tiny student to a high-schooler, she says, “As cheesy as it sounds, it’s amazing to see the same students grow up. I feel very privileged, and it makes me feel very proud of the district.”

She always goes to the plays and events like Baccalaureate because she feels extremely proud when she watches her students succeed. She mentions how the best part about teaching is seeing students smile inside “when you make a connection with a student, and that connection helps the student be happier, more motivated, more sure of themselves.”

Not only is she a wonderful person, she is also very motivated and has an interesting background. Having a degree in business, she owned a successful gas business with her husband before she started teaching at WHS. But she and her husband realized that their true passions were teaching and carpentry, respectively. Now, Mrs. Palladino teaches and runs her husband’s carpentry business.  And while her life is very busy, it’s also very fulfilling.

Mrs. Palladino is no stranger to working hard. She came to America from Spain at a young age, and had no one to depend on.  Initially, adjustment to the American way of life was very challenging. She suppressed her Spanish culture during this struggle to find herself in America. But over time, she began to think of her Spanish culture as a strength, not a weakness, and “was able to reintroduce my culture, and realize that I am Spanish. I realized that I didn’t have to change to be happy.”  

Looking back, she has no regrets of coming to America, as this experience has made her a fighter and survivor. Today, her Spanish culture is an integral part of her personality. She embraces her Spanish values of family and openness to others. Perhaps most of all, she appreciates how Spanish people live in the moment. In this age, where everyone seems to be constantly planning for the future, she believes that people often lose sight of what’s really important. She believes that we need to have “the ability to stop and smell the roses, allowing yourself to be in the moment and live simply.”  

People also sometimes get caught up in materialistic desires, and feel like happiness will come once certain things happen, like buying a new car or paying off college. But Mrs. Palladino assures that “happiness is in the now” and not what you own. It’s this value of living simply and in the moment that Mrs. Palladino feels is one of the best parts of the Spanish culture.

This value can be seen throughout her life. She describes how camping is one of her favorite things to do, as it is living purely and simply, focused on surviving in the now. She also enjoys being outdoors, gardening, and admiring the beauty of nature. Her favorite place is a beautiful, rural town in northern Spain in the mountains, called Ruente. She has wonderful memories of seeing the vast ocean, the animals, smelling the sweet scent of nature, and staying in their small, cozy home there.

Mrs. Palladino inspires her students every day with her fun and engaging teaching style, and now they can also be inspired through her wise words, her involvement in the district, her caring nature, and her array of experiences.

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