I had the opportunity to sit down with Mr. Sibeto and ask him a few questions. Mr. Sibeto is the only Italian teacher here at New Castle, so I was very interested to learn more about his job. Below are the questions I asked Mr. Sibeto about his career and how he came to teach Italian at New Castle. Hope you enjoy the interview Canes!

Q: “When did you realize you wanted to teach and did you always want to teach Italian?”

A: ”I knew in 10th or 11th grade that I wanted to teach and I wanted to teach Spanish. I taught Spanish for 20 years. I then took night classes to become certified in Italian. I then started teaching Italian in 2013.”

Q: “Do you feel overwhelmed or pressured being the only teacher in the Italian department?”

A: ”No, it’s actually easier because I can follow my own lesson plans. From year to year, I am able to track what my students know and what they should know at their level. It is also nice because I get to build relationships with my students and get to know them better instead of only having them for only one year.”

Q: “Would you ever want to teach another subject or language?”

A: ”I enjoyed teaching Spanish, but I like teaching Italian. Especially in New Castle because many of my students understand different Italian traditions. It adds to the experience when students have ancestors from Italy and can relate to the Italian culture and traditions of Italy.”

Q: “How old were you when you learned Italian?”

A: ”I took a year of Italian in high school. I went back to school at Youngstown State University in 2008 to get my degree.”

Q: “What college/university did you earn your degree at?”

A: “I got my Spanish degree at Gannon University, I also studied a semester in Valencia, Spain. I got my Italian degree at Youngstown State and also studied in Sicily.”

Q: “How long have you been teaching?/When did you start teaching at New Castle?”

A: “I have been teaching for 30 years. I did my first 5 years at Butler and have been teaching at New Castle since 1998.”

It was an honor interviewing Mr. Sibeto and learning more about him. Mr. Sibeto is a great teacher and I highly recommend taking Italian. He has made it super easy to learn and he works hard to make sure his students understand each and every lesson. Thanks again for the interview Mr. Sibeto! Have a great year!