Upper School English teacher Mrs. Susan Giordani talks about her journey to becoming a teacher and her passion for teaching high schoolers.

From a young age, Giordani showed an interest in English.

“Even when I was a kid, I would write for my family, I would read for them, and we would discuss,” Giordani said. “I would even make vocabulary quizzes for them, so there were all these things that were pointing to the fact that I should be an English teacher someday.”

While at Penn State University, Giordani knew she wanted to work with kids, however her initial career path was not English.

“I originally wanted to go into family law, and without all the extra details, I realized that I would not be able to handle the sadness that comes along with some of the cases,” Giordani said.

Giordani eventually discovered a new-found love for teaching.

“I switched gears [when] I was a senior in college and I took some education courses, and loved them,” she said.

Giordani has taught grades five through 12, but she prefers teaching high schoolers.

“I love the middle schoolers, bu there’s something that’s just special about the teenage mind and the challenges that come with it and the opportunities that come with it,” Giordani said.

Giordani said that she does not need to teach English to enjoy teaching.

“I would be open to teaching just about anything except math, I don’t have to necessarily be teaching English to teach the things that I love to teach,” Giordani said.

Giordani feels a special connection with the seniors because she has seen their growth throughout high school.

“This is my fifth year teaching at Malvern. I started teaching the eighth grade for the seniors who are graduating now, so I feel kind of like a special bond with them,” Giordani said.

Another advantage of teaching for Giordani is that she can support her students when they encounter non-academic issues.

“I think it’s just a difficult stage in life for kids and I just want to be there to support them,” Giordani said.