Meet Mr. Patrick Antonucci, PALCS High School Math Teacher. Mr Antonucci currently teaches Honors Algebra 1, Survey of Calculus, AP Calculus & AP Statistics. He has been working at PALCS since 2015, this will be his fifth school year teaching High School Math. Mr. Antonucci has always held a position as a High School Math Teacher at PALCS and each year he looks forward to teaching his students.
Before coming to PALCS, Mr. Antonucci declared his major in mathematics at the University of Pittsburgh where he earned his bachelor’s degree. Then he went to graduate school at Pitt’s School of Education to study Secondary Mathematics Education. Mr. Antonucci has a Level 2 Instructional Certificate for Grades 7-12 in Mathematics. He has taught all levels of mathematics from 7th grade math up through Calculus 2.
Growing up, and especially in High School, Mr. Antonucci states that he did not care much for math. “I struggled with it and had a hard time understanding. It wasn’t until college, where I basically had to start over, that my love for math began. It was then that I began to understand math and wanted to pursue it further.
Prior to teaching at PALCS Mr. Antonucci taught in a brick & mortar setting for 7 years and one other cyber school. “Now I enjoy helping students understand how math works because I know what it’s like to struggle with mathematical concepts. I really enjoy teaching in the cyber setting because of the freedoms and flexibility it offers our students.”
When we asked Mr. Antonucci what his favorite thing (about working for PALCS) is, he answered with; “My favorite part about my job is teaching students and working one on one.” He adds, “I love the flexibility PALCS offers to students and how it opens up other opportunities that might not be available to students if they weren’t here.”
Mr. Antonucci explains the difference PALCS has made for him in his life. Becoming a teacher at PALCS has showed him how passionate he is about teaching as well as enabling him to focus even more on teaching his students. He explains before working at PALCS and working at a brick & mortar school he did have some adjustments he had to make to teaching at a cyber-school. “There was an adjustment period, but after I got the hang of it I liked it so much better than being in a brick and mortar school.” He explains how he overcame these challenges, “There was so much information and new technology (and I think students experience this too) coming at me that my head was swimming with information.”
In Mr. Antonucci’s free time, he enjoys spending time with his wife and their five children. You most likely will find him enjoying a cup of coffee, taking trips with his family or enjoying a nice run after a long day of work.
We would like to thank Mr. Antonucci for taking the time to speak with us and sharing his story! What a wonderful asset and educator Mr. Antonucci has been to the PALCS community. We are so proud and honored to have him on our team!
To view other high school staff click here. For additional information about PALCS please contact us.
