Diodati, Maureen

Name: Maureen Diodati

Subjects: CAP English 10 and English 12

Education: High school graduate from West Babylon High School in Long Island, NY; Minor in Reading and B.S. at St. Francis University in Loretto, PA; Masters in English Education at Mansfield State

Previous Jobs: was a lifeguard and swimming instructor for ten years during the summers between high school and graduate school; worked in the college library as an assistant research librarian; taught mentally handicapped women at a state run school in PA; was an employment counselor in Silver Spring; was a hostess at Blackie's House of Beef; taught English in summer school at Blair for 15 years

Came to Blair in: 1978

Hobbies: loves to cook, travel, read and go the theater

Maureen Diodati wanders around room 157, preparing for her first period CAP English block. She writes the daily agenda on the dry-erase board, removes the necessary papers from her briefcase, and sits in her chair, eagerly awaiting the arrival of her tenth grade students.

Diodati always wanted to become a teacher and took charge at an early age. She was one of the oldest children growing up on the block so she would organize events such as hiking and biking. Diodati is grateful that she had a goal for her life at such a young age. "I knew in eleventh grade I wanted to be a teacher," she says. "Many people change jobs, but I feel special that I knew what I always wanted to do."

While teaching is a central part of her life, cooking plays a large role as well. Her grandparents came from Italy so food was especially important to the family. "[Cooking's] a passion. Of course, I like to eat too," she says and laughs. Surprisingly, Italian is not her favorite food. "There's not much I don't like. That's the problem, so I'm willing to experiment with a lot. I'm experimenting with Thai and Indian [now]."

Diodati also travels extensively and has visited the Caribbean, Italy, England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France, Greece and Russia. The most memorable country was Russia because of the desolate situation facing eastern Europe. "I was really dismayed at how utilitarian the atmosphere and architecture was in Moscow. You walk into a store," she explains, "and there would be one or two cans of food on each counter...and maybe one piece of meat that looked to be dried out."

Although Diodati enjoys a variety of activities, she never excelled in sports. "I'm really uncoordinated. It's probably because as a child I had many ear infections so I would keep falling down," she says. She also attributes her dislike for athletics to a misadventure with a tennis racket. "My professional tennis career ended when my sister's gerbil ate the netting," Diodati jokes.

Diodati has had her share of skiing mishaps as well but best remembers the time when she braved a ferocious snowstorm. "I didn't realize the slopes were all full of ice, and I wouldn't be able to see," she says. On top of that, her glove became snagged on the trail lift, and she started to panic. "I had to go around again [on the lift], and by then, my friends had gotten off. That was the last time I ever went skiing in a snowstorm. That was an adventure." In the future, Diodati looks forward to more exciting adventures, though maybe not quite as dangerous.