Three Williamsburg HS Teachers Talk About Why They Love Teaching

Author’s Note: This is the last of the secondary teachers’ biographies. It was great getting to know more about them. Micah Lingenfelter had a family emergency that kept him from writing, and the teachers who were not featured did not respond.

Suzanna Long

Hailing all the way from the sandy beaches is Suzanna Long, who came to Pennsylvania on a tennis scholarship to Saint Francis University.

Long is married and has three daughters. She loves to travel and coach soccer when not teaching.

“The reality of law classes changed my mind,” she said, about wanting to be a lawyer originally.

“I have always loved history so I changed my direction towards education,” Long said.

She said her Latin and government teachers, who were coincidentally married, Bruce and Bobby Johnson as the teachers who had the biggest impact on her teaching career.

“They were the best role models and because they didn’t have children themselves, their students became their kids,” Long said.

She began her career teaching in Williamsburg in 2004, and then started back at Williamsburg again in 2017.

“My students and the friends here I have made along the way,” Long said, are her favorite parts of her job.

She said the close community is something she loves about Williamsburg.

“When I get to see how students have grown and matured since I had them in Junior High,” Long said, is her favorite part of teaching high school.

She said as a daughter of a Marine, she believes that students can’t learn in chaos.

“So I run a pretty tight ship especially in the younger grades but it is also important for me to know my content area, and to be fair,” Long said, of her teaching philosophy.

“Life is tough but you have the tools to be tougher,” she said, as advice to her students.

Michael Farrell

“I became a teacher because I enjoyed working with kids to help them improve their athleticism, especially my many nieces and nephews,” Williamsburg physical education teacher Michael Farrell said.

He is a graduate of Penn State University, and when he’s not teaching – he enjoys various outdoor activities.

Farrell said he has a passion for golf.

He grew up in Altoona with five brothers and one sister.

Farrell credits Mrs. Danish, a math teacher, as the teacher who inspired him the most.

“She made me work to overcome the difficulties of Geometry, she inspired a work ethic,” he said.

Farrell began teaching in September of 1999, and was officially hired in October of 1999.

“Providing the students an opportunity to learn and exercise,” Farrell said, is his favorite part of the job. My favorite part of teaching high school is to gradually see student improvement and growth.”

His teaching philosophy echoes that same sentiment.

“To provide students an opportunity to challenge themselves to achieve something they hadn’t thought they could,” Farrell said, to his students. “Discover what you are passionate about and work to improve, Enjoy the challenges life presents.”

Shane Gallagher

Gallagher graduated fourth in his class of over 600 from Altoona in 2005, and then went on to graduate from Penn State University, in 2010 with a degree in mathematics.

When he’s not teaching, Gallagher enjoys playing video games and disc golf, watching professional wrestling, and collecting Legos.

“Ever since I was a young boy, I always had a fascination with school — the academics, the organization, and the progression all fascinated me, “ he said.

Gallagher said as he progressed through middle and high school, he came to realize that intelligence was a very valuable tool to possess in life.

“I enjoyed acquiring knowledge, and I considered myself to be a very smart individual,” he said. “Every ‘A’ I received made me smile; for the lack of a better word, I quickly became obsessed with getting smarter and smarter.”

Gallagher says on why he wanted to become a teacher.

He credits his math teacher, Joseph Falger as having an impact on him wanting to be a teacher.

“I had Mr. Falger for several years, and I respected him immensely — he was fair, respectful, stern, enthusiastic, intelligent and highly motivated,” Gallagher said. “His class was the best part of my school day; he showed me how a great teacher connects with students and motivates them to learn and be successful.”

He was a substitute teacher from 2013-2016.

Then worked at Williamsburg as an AmeriCorps teacher during the 2016-2017 school year, and in 2017, he was hired to teach science and biology.

“My favorite part of the job is definitely working and interacting with the students,” Gallagher said. “Teaching junior high can definitely be crazy and chaotic, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

He said he is constantly learning and evolving as the years go on due to the students bringing new information to the table.

“They ask me questions and force me to acquire new information to be able to adapt, evolve, and continue in my pursuit of higher academic achievement,” Gallagher said.

He said his favorite thing about Williamsburg is its size.

“I think it’s immensely beneficial to know every student in the school,” Gallagher said. “You can learn their strengths and weaknesses, and utilize this knowledge to better your lessons and teaching to effectively create personalized lessons that students will benefit from the most.”

His advice to his students would be to acquire as much knowledge and experience as they can from junior high and high school.

“These years form the foundation of your life, and knowledge and experience will be your biggest assets and advantages when facing the reality and competitiveness of life after graduation,” Gallagher said.