Getting a read on her students

Pauline Cassano followed her mother’s footsteps to the teaching profession.

The 85-year-old Glendale resident learned a few things along the way.

After attending Glendale Community College and Los Angeles City College, Cassano, a Kansas native, got her certification and landed a teaching job at the Los Angeles Unified School District in the 1950s.

There, she taught first-graders for 13 years.

She took early retirement after a drop in enrollment caused the district to eliminate teaching positions.

Cassano considers herself successful in her teaching career and credits her firm but fair teaching style, she said.

She advises teachers to keep their students’ behaviors in check to ensure learning and progress in the classroom, she said.

Glendale News-Press news assistant Ani Amirkhanian sat down with Cassano at the Glendale Adult Recreation Center and asked her a few questions.

What was your first teaching job like?

I liked to teach reading as a teacher, and I taught first grade.

Most teachers didn’t like teaching first grade, but I did. I had little kids at home, so I knew how to deal with them. I taught my own children to read.

What kind of challenges did you face teaching some of the youngest students?

I didn’t find any particular challenges. There were always the kids who were slower or hadn’t had any exposure to reading. Those were the hardest. Some of them didn’t know the alphabet or didn’t speak the language.

Did you use any methods to teach children to read?

You have to start with the alphabet. I always read to them. I had maps, visual aids. I would always point to the words so they knew what I was pointing to. There were some who had never been subjected to reading, but they were well mannered.

What is the most rewarding aspect of the teaching profession?

To see them achieve. Just to see them progress in reading. See them pick out a book and read.

Did you have any dislikes about the profession?

I didn’t like the fire drills. They disrupted the class. I realized they were necessary. One day, one little boy thought it would be funny to hide in the classroom during a fire drill. A little girl gave him up to me. She whispered where he was. I went and got him so he would catch up with the rest of the class so he wouldn’t be embarrassed.

What kind of advice can you offer new teachers?

The most important part of teaching is to let children know you enjoy teaching. First thing you want to do is to let them know who is boss. It means they have to behave.