With more than 30 years of experience teaching math, 22 of them at Northwood, teacher Chris Di Antonio still hasn’t lost the enthusiasm for math that he shares with his students every day. 

Bonnie Chen, senior: What do you think is the biggest difference between your Enhanced Math 2 and AP Statistics? 

Chris Di Antonio: In EM2, you have mainly freshmen while in AP Stats, you have the 17- or 18-year-old seniors. So there’s a different dynamic that goes on. You have the freshmen who walk in scared on the first day. They don’t know what to expect, so they are very attentive. They listen to everything. And then in AP Statistics, you have your seniors who are a little bit independent. But what I liked the most was having certain students for two or three years and seeing the growth. To be able to take a student who had EM2 in August of their freshman year and then close out their high school math career in AP Statistics is really cool because you see their ability to take everything that they learn through the years and have all these tools available, like a tool belt. And that growth is amazing, especially if they can walk out of the classroom after having me for three years and genuinely enjoy math.

BC: What was the most memorable moment in your time teaching at Northwood? 

CD: My son went here from 2012 to 2016, so having the opportunity as a teacher to have your own son on campus and enjoy the same experiences on campus is unique. 

BC: What is the most difficult part of being a teacher?

CD: Not everybody goes back and visits their high school teachers, but these are students that you hope you prepared well; they leave the nest and do well in society. You know you probably won’t see them again and that’s hard. I think as a teacher, the most difficult part is letting your kids go, much like parenting. It’s like letting them out and  saying, “Okay, now you’re on your own.” It’s a little bittersweet.