Teacher Spotlight: Eva Polizzi, English Teacher At Inspire Connections Academy
by Valerie Kirk
5 min to read
Every teacher lives for that moment when things start to click for their student.
According to Inspire Connections Academy English teacher Eva Polizzi, “When you see that happen, it’s the best feeling in the world."
Who is Eva Polizzi?
Polizzi has been a high school teacher at Inspire Connections Academy in Idaho for five years. When she first started teaching there, she was often asked what Inspire Connections Academy is.
“I had to explain to my friends and family that Inspire Connections Academy is a K-12 online public school serving students throughout the state of Idaho, which is great. I get to teach kids from all over the state.”
She didn’t always teach online high school, though. She started her career teaching in a brick-and-mortar school.
“I switched to online teaching because I saw an opportunity to be able to reach more students. In online school, I get to teach the whole child in a way that I didn’t get to when I taught English in person.”
As an online teacher, she gets to know her students better because she is able to spend more one-on-one time with them.
“I know about their pets. I know about their jobs. I know about their home life. I get to know them in ways that I never could when I spent just 45 minutes with them in a brick-and-mortar classroom.”
Because she gets to know her students better, she can incorporate her curriculum into the things that matter most to them, tailoring her lessons to help students be more engaged with the subject.
“A lot of students think they're bad at English. They may have a hard time with reading or writing. I get to work one-on-one with a student in the online platform where they don’t feel pressured by the other students. I can go step-by-step at their pace to help them see what they might be missing. Eventually, it clicks for them, and they suddenly realize that they actually are a good writer and they do have a story to tell.”
How Eva Polizzi Helps Students Achieve Their Dreams
Connections Academy students often have big dreams, and being an online student helps them work towards their goals. As Polizzi gets to know her students, she gets to know their dreams and aspirations.
“I have a student who has dreams of being a ballet dancer professionally. She's able to dance all day at her studio and still accomplish her schoolwork because the online school schedule is so flexible. I check in with her between rehearsals, and she does her schoolwork in the evenings or in the mornings before her day starts. Because of the flexible scheduling, she will graduate with a high school diploma and be well on her way to a professional dance career.”
Some students, like the aspiring ballerina, choose online school to focus on a passion or future career opportunity, such as earning their associate’s degree as a dual enrollment student in their local community college. Others may have family obligations, full-time jobs, or a medical condition that prevents them from going to a brick-and-mortar school.
“Regardless of their situation, I can check in with the student and parent during the day as needed to ensure they are still on track. I operate as a team with the caregiver and the student so that they can finish high school.”
A myth about online school is that it is easier than brick-and-mortar schools, but Polizzi disagrees.
“Our curriculum is rigorous. Plus, online school builds more soft skills. Students have to be self-disciplined and self-motivated. They have to be willing to advocate for themselves.”
She also hears the myth that online teachers can’t make connections with their students if they cannot interact with them in person.
“The best way to connect with a teenager is through the device they are always on. Teenagers spend so much time on their phones and computers, and because that is where I teach them, I feel like I have a conduit straight to them. They are comfortable using that medium to talk to me.”
She also makes connections through reading. She likes to ask her students for book recommendations. “I read the books that they are reading so that we can talk about it the next time we are together.”
Because she works with each student individually, she can see the progress quickly. “I wish every parent and caretaker could see what I see in their students. I see how hard they try and how much they care about not only their schoolwork but about how they're portraying their family. That gives me hope for the future.”
“I always want my students to know that their feelings, their lives, and their stories are valid and important. I want them to know that they can do brave and wonderful things.”
Listen as Polizzi shares more insights about being an online high school English teacher.
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