Au Revoir, Mme. D'Alessandro

Written by: Madeleine Homer

MME. D’ALESSANDRO: Oh my goodness, science! I love science! In grade nine, I just love astronomy a lot, and in grade ten, I just love the course. It really just does give [the students] a little more information about what to expect when they go on, if they want to go on, whereas grade nine is a little more general. 

INTERVIEWER: What inspired you to go into science?

MME. D’ALESSANDRO: Just the curiosity. It was interesting. And it’s also fun to teach it because it’s very objective. My other teachable is French; it’s so subjective, and it’s so hard. When you write something in English, for example, how do you know that it’s a really good essay? It’s really difficult to tell. Science is a little more…fun to teach, I guess.

INTERVIEWER: What motivated you to go into French?

MME. D’ALESSANDRO: Well, I have French because living in Montreal, I was always able to speak it. I love languages generally, like I’m always asking students what their name means, where it comes from, what other languages they have. I just love the idea of languages because it gives us….your identity, and [language] gives you a different perspective on the world. That’s why I appreciate languages.

INTERVIEWER: What made you decide to retire?

MME. D’ALESSANDRO: I just want to be able to control a little more of my life. I enjoy teaching a lot, still, so I didn’t want to leave because of the students, but at the same time, I’d like to just be able to say, ‘Okay. I’m going to work now, but I won’t work, like, next week.’ I feel like if I retire now and I supply, I can still get that because I really do need to be around [students]. So I think I’m going to still enjoy that part, but at the same time, I still have a little more control. ‘Cause teaching is like, yes, you get the summer, and I can’t complain about that. However, anytime you want to go anywhere, it’s expensive, so it’s really just a little more control.

INTERVIEWER: What are you going to miss most about Blakelock?

MME. D’ALESSANDRO: The students...the most. Because I would’ve said the Blakelock community, and the staff definitely...but, in the last two years we’ve gone through so many changes and there’s been so many new stuff that we don’t even have that community that we had, it’s changed.

The ones that stay the same are the kids, right? I know every grade is special, but for me it’s like you guys were always kids. I’m lucky because I teach science and French immersion, so it’s always the same students, so I get to know them. That’s what’s nice, because like right now I’m teaching a grade twelve class, and I taught them in grade nine...grade ten, and then last year, because we were online, I taught them grade eleven. So I really know them. So it’s kinda special to that program because...if you were in an English class you’d have a science teacher one year, you might have them again in grade ten, but it’s not a guarantee. Whereas with me they’re stuck. They’re stuck! Sorry! Sorry guys. That’s the problem. I would've said my community and the staff, but, as I said, we’ve gone through so many changes that it’s like we’ve kinda gotten used to not seeing people. The common is always the kids.

INTERVIEWER: Do you have any plans once you retire?

MME. D’ALESSANDRO: Traveling, I hope. Just little travels. And I do plan on coming back, unfortunately. Those poor kids, they’re gonna see me and go, ‘Aah!’ It’s gonna be scary, like, ‘Oh, I thought you were gone.’ I do still want to be involved. I want to get out to Europe...at some point. I’ve always wanted to go to Indonesia, and those areas, but jeez, money, you know? Hahaha! So I think it’s just the idea of being able to. I am really lucky. I do realize that. Like, it’s not all people that can retire when we retire as teachers.

We also had the pleasure of talking to Leena El-Said, a former student of Mme. D’Alessandro.

INTERVIEWER: What was your favourite part about having a class with Mme. D’Alessandro?

LEENA: Although I had her during the pandemic experience in grade ten, I think a lot of my memories, thanks to her, were me being motivated, and I was still driven to work hard in her classes. Every day, she made me feel like I wanted to learn something new. She’s very passionate about the way she teaches, so every time I was in her class, even if it was me waking up, getting into bed, and opening up the laptop, I still wanted to hear her speak because she’s always such an engaging person. She genuinely cares about what she teaches, so I loved being in her classes.

We all wish Mme. D'Alessandro the best of luck going into her retirement, and hope to see her again in future years!