Free college sounds like a dream for most, but for Mattie Brandolini, it was reality. She went to Northeastern University. The biology program matched exactly what she wanted to study, and due to her father working there in the past, she was able to go to college for free and was lucky enough to graduate without any debt.
After college, Brandolini worked at Kayropharm Therapeutics since she needed a stable position and they offered it to her. Brandolini took a break from working which made it challenging to find work. Though she wasn’t very passionate about the job, it was very stable, paid better, and appealed to her more than her previous job. Despite not being very passionate about the job, she enjoyed working with her coworkers and found it much more appealing than 12-hour night manufacturing shifts.
But ultimately, the lack of fulfillment she felt at that job, as well as eventually being laid off, inspired her to pursue something she was much more passionate about: teaching.
Mattie Brandolini, a new biology teacher at Everett High School, is finally feeling fulfilled by her job as biology teacher and enjoys sharing her knowledge with students while still learning new things herself.
Brandolini chose to be a biology teacher because she liked studying and learning about how life works. From college to her last job, she had mentored and tutored children and students, something she was repeatedly told she was very good at it.
“I’m excited about improving my skills and reaching the point where I can actually spark passion and interest and the passion for learning in my students,” Brandolini said.
“I genuinely think that at least to some degree we’re born naturally curious,” Brandolini said. “However, the world in many active and passive ways does a poor job of protecting and fostering this curiosity. I also think that learning as a process is more difficult than it needs to be and wish to be part of changing that. That doesn’t mean I don’t want to challenge my students and help them strengthen their academic and thinking skills.”
Brandolini states her first accomplishment as learning to manage and master her learning style. When she was much younger, growing up in Boston, Malden and Wakefield, she found school incredibly difficult because her learning style and way of thinking “clashed substantially” with how information was presented or taught to her. With an amount of effort and discipline she was able to figure out how to teach herself effectively and develop strategies.
“It’s been challenging but rewarding,” Brandolini said. “Preparing for three different subjects is quite demanding, and I’m a bit of a perfectionist so I tend to push myself hard. I’m learning a lot though, and I think next year will go much more smoothly. What I hope the most is that my students feel comfortable, safe and willing to push themselves. I teach mostly freshmen and I feel a high responsibility to help them academically and emotionally with the transition to high school and to a lesser degree secondary education.”
