Q&A with English teacher, former attorney Mrs. Bellino

By Jailyn R.

Ms. Bellino is an enthusiastic educator who has been in Airport Highschool for five years and has been teaching in South Carolina in our district for 12. She enjoys reading, cooking, gardening, and spending quality time with her family and pets. She teaches various English courses and emphasizes flexibility with regard to planning and each day’s instruction.  Ms. Bellino employs diverse teaching methods, including visual aids and hands-on activities, to cater to different learning styles and ensure student comprehension. 

I decided to interview Ms. Bellino because she's a very nice teacher and she has so much respect for her students.  The interview took place on September 23 at AHS in Mrs.Bellino's classroom.

Jailyn:

First, can you tell me about yourself? What are your interests, hobbies, or what you like to do for fun, besides from school?

Mrs. Bellino:

I like to read, I like to cook, I like to garden, and I like spending time with my pets and my family.

Jailyn:

What are you currently teaching?

Mrs.Bellino:

This semester I am teaching English 3 Honors, English 2 CP, and next semester I'll be teaching Speech and Debate.

Jailyn:

What is your greatest strength as a teacher?

Mrs.Bellino:

I think questioning just because of my background as an attorney.

Jailyn:

What inspired you to become a teacher?

Mrs.Bellino

When I was practicing law, I wasn't entirely happy and I wanted to do something where I felt like I was actually contributing.

Jailyn:

How would you describe your teaching style?

Mrs.Bellino

I try to be understanding with my students. I want them to be successful. I try to be very flexible. I don't know if that's necessarily a style.

Jailyn:

What are your teaching methods? What do you use?

Mrs.Bellino:

I like to incorporate visuals. I like to incorporate hands-on. I like to incorporate having people partner up, move around. I think that having students have different ways of learning and different styles of learning help them in so many different ways.

Jailyn:

What steps do you take to ensure your students understand the lesson?

Mrs.Bellino:

I ask students to write. We have conversations and discussions during class. I check to make sure they understand. I do some reading checks or checking quizzes.

Jailyn:

How do you motivate your students?

Mrs.Bellino:

I think I try to be encouraging. I think that's all I really can do. Everybody is coming to me from a different place. I just try to encourage them to try their hardest.

Jailyn:

In your opinion, what qualities and skills should an effective English teacher possess?

Mrs.Bellino:

Strong reading writing and speaking skills being able to understand their students being willing to work with their students when they're struggling

Jailyn:

Describe an English lesson that you enjoyed delivering in the classroom

Mrs.Bellino

One of my favorites has been with English 1, doing commercials for gods and goddesses incorporating rhetorical devices and propaganda.

Jailyn:

What would you do if you had a student whose grades are slipping or is misbehaving in class?

Mrs.Bellino:

I talk to them, get in touch with parents, try and talk to parents, try and encourage them to put in their best efforts.

Jailyn:

How do you get a parent or a guardian engaging in the learning process?

Mrs.Bellino:

Communication. In the past I've done, when I was especially in middle school, I did newsletters frequently because that was one way to keep them looped into what we were doing.

Jailyn:

Can you describe a time where you helped a student overcome challenges while learning English? 

Mrs.Bellino:

I think working with students who are learning English, the challenges obviously are connecting between the student's native language and English. And so I find myself using visuals a lot. I find my students using, or I try to help my students with visuals and by showing them connections. I use a lot of stems and root words, so especially Spanish students recognize some of those base words in their own language, and it helps make those connections.

Jailyn:

Why do you want to work at Air Point High School or in the school district? 

MrsBellino:

I have been in Lexington, too. This is my 12th year, and I have really enjoyed my time teaching at the high school level,so this is my fifth year in high school and i really really enjoy being here why do i want to be here i think that my students have a the ability to engage the ability to debate and have dialogue with each other which is what i hope they're getting from class on occasion it's not every single time but i really do hope they get that from each other

Jailyn:

And the last question, what are your expectations for this professional development opportunities for this role?

Mrs.Bellino:

Lexington Two provides ongoing professional development. We have our cohorts each month. One of my favorite professional developments that I did on my own was going to the Folger Shakespeare Museum in Washington, DC for a two-week intensive program where we delved into two texts. We performed on the stage and just had a great time playing with Shakespeare's language.

Jailyn:

Thank you Ms. Bellino for doing the interview with me.

Mrs.Bellino:

You're welcome.

Thank you for doing the interview with me Mrs. Bellino. After concluding with the interview, I have learned Mrs.Bellino is a family woman who's an extremely amazing teacher.She uses her skills to the best of her abilities to help her students succeed in the classroom.