LYNN — Lynn Vocational Technical Institute mathematics teacher Anthony Schillaci knew from a young age that he wanted to become an educator.
The Lynn English graduate stated as much in his high school yearbook, a statement that is forever enshrined beneath his class picture.
These days, Schillaci has more than 40 years of experience and the distinction of being considered the longest serving teacher in the Lynn Public Schools, where he’s spent his entire career.
However, Schillaci, who got his start at Breed Middle School, said that’s not what motivates him to keep teaching.
“I never really thought much about it,” said Schillaci, 69. “It’s really gratifying but it’s not because of that. It’s because I like doing what I do.”
Schillaci enjoys the job so much that he returned to Lynn Tech last September as a substitute. He had formally retired from teaching back in 2010, but was drawn back to the profession after he noticed there were openings for full-time substitutes.
Since returning, he’s found that he has less control as a building substitute, as he does not administer grades. He also does not know the names of every student in his classes, but he does not anticipate that would lead to any problems.
“Over the course of Lynn Tech that I’ve been there the kids have been so great and that’s why I decided to go back,” he said. “If I didn’t like the job and the kids weren’t good, I wouldn’t do it, but they have been great and the Lynn Tech faculty and everyone else has been fantastic.”
In addition to enjoying the camaraderie with his colleagues, Schillaci said he likes being able to teach his profession, mathematics, to students, along with trying to mold them into becoming “model citizens.”
What’s most gratifying, he said, is when his former students come up to him years later and tell him about the positive impact his teaching has had on them. Those encounters remind him of why he got into the profession in the first place, Schillaci said, noting that it can be challenging to keep kids on task, motivated and prepared for life after graduation.
As a lifelong Lynn resident and product of city schools, Schillaci said it’s been rewarding to teach in the same school district he attended.
“Growing up in the city, I knew the culture and everything else and the backgrounds and it was so much easier to teach in a school system that I came from,” he said.
Although the coronavirus outbreak and his pension restrictions will likely prevent him from returning as a substitute until next January, Schillaci said he plans on teaching for as long as he’s healthy.
“If I didn’t like the job and I wasn’t a career-type person, I wouldn’t get back into it, but I do love the kids,” he said.
