Name: Andrew DeMuro
College/Year: University of Miami, Senior
Breakthrough Site: Miami, College Bound
Elective Course: Musicology

Over the past six weeks, Breakthrough’s intensive teaching and learning program has taught me to appreciate my own teachers growing up, and to appreciate every moment I can get learning from students. By far, the most important area of growth I experienced was in my command of the classroom. The more experience I accrued, the more prepared I felt for a wide variety of situations and the sharper my classroom intellect became. If a teacher wants any sort of respect from his students, I’ve learned that passion and dedication must exude from his every word. As teacher confidence develops, every other essential skill seems to fall into place almost effortlessly. In other words, once you buy into your own message, the kids are bound to follow close behind.

Aside from growing as a teacher, I’ve gained a perspective on life that I never previously had given the proper consideration. Coming from my plush white, sheltered New Jersey background, I learned about the struggle in Miami that exists among young kids who want to excel as students and transcend the environment that they were born into. My mission to make learning cool became so much more central to my teaching philosophy, mainly because of how much of a challenge it proved to be. In reality, it started with me. Once my scholars got to know and trust me, I found that they followed my lead and example much more easily. Therefore, by perpetuating the Breakthrough mission in my daily activities, it was bound to rub off on my students.

Finally, I learned how to work as a functional, viable member of a team with my staff. My fellow teachers and I were very lucky to get along so well—not just with our site directors, but also with each other. We had several highs, lows, and bumps in the road (which I will always remember, without regret), but we confronted every opportunity we had to face adversity with resilience. I’m honored to have had the chance to work with them, and to take the lessons I’ve learned with them into my future endeavors. I will truly miss each and every one of them.