Not many Paly teachers can boast a grandmother who taught in a one-room school house, but Tiffany Telesca is not like many teachers. With her grandmother, mother, and an aunt who worked as teachers, it seems like Telesca was born to teach.
"[Teaching] runs in my family," Telesca said. "I also feel like a free public education is one of the greatest strengths our nation has."
Telesca, a new-comer at Paly who teaches junior English and Foods classes, received a BBS in English and chemistry and a masters in counseling and human development from Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas, but she says she always meant to teach.
Telesca has moved around many times with her family and has an expansive teaching background. She taught eighth grade English at Santa Fe Junior High, chemistry and sophomore English at Alpine High School in west Texas, started a doctoral program at Texas Tech in human development and family studies, and led a freshmen orientation and study skills class at McMurry University.
Telesca’s husband is employed by university recreation and health programs. Each time he finds a job at a new university, the family has to move again. He is currently in charge of all facilities at Stanford University for non-varsity sports.
A native Texan, Telesca has never lived outside of Texas before, but hopes to stay in Palo Alto for a while.
"I would love to be able to stay and be able to have the same classes more than once in a row," Telesca said. "You always get new ideas for the next time you [teach a class] and sometimes I don’t get that chance."
Telesca describes her teaching style as having high expectations for the students.
"I had a student tell me one time, ‘You’re the nicest mean person I’ve ever met’," Telesca said.
"I do not think I am mean, I think I have high expectations for the class. And sometimes my expectations don’t meet that of the student and that is when conflict occurs."
Telesca loves to read in her spare time, and her reading list is as varied as her resume. She enjoys everything from funny fiction like John Kennedy Toole’s Confederacy of Dunces to the Bible to jarring non-fiction such as A Child Called It by Deve Pelzer.
She also enjoys singing gospel and Christian music and playing games with her two sons, fourth grader Tristan and first grader Alexander.
"Their favorite new game is ‘hide Mommy’s briefcase when she is leaving for work’," Telesca said.
Telesca has enjoyed at Paly so far and hopes to teach again next year.
"I look forward to getting to know the students, because I have heard so many good things about Paly students," Telesca said. "From what I have seen already in the week and a half of class, I would love to stay."