32 years later, Mr. Albanese retires from teaching

It was four years ago now that upon entering into high school, I chose to take Spanish. And on that first day of Spanish one, Mrs. Wade informed our class “And if you see a little Italian man running around, that’s just Mr. Albanese.” Four years later, that man is retiring, after thirty-two years teaching at L-S.

Mr. Angelo Albanese is retiring after 32 years

of teaching

Originally, Mr. Albanese taught Spanish, and coached soccer and tennis. 

"I’d do anything for a job," he quips. Spanish was not even his first choice for teaching. "I loved math, in Italy I wanted to be an architect." 

But when he came to the states, the language barrier made it hard for him to transition, and he ended up taking higher level math courses than he could handle.

"But they said, hey, you have a good accent, what about a Spanish minor, and I said, how about we just make it a major?" he recalls. 

But more than Spanish, Mr. Albanese wanted to teach so he could be there for students to help them during the most turbulent time of their lives.

Albanese asserts that L-S has changed a lot in the last thirty-two years. 

"It went from a small school, through three renovations, to what it is now, so physically it’s changed," he explains. "But kids haven’t changed much. Teens are major works in progress." 

He did say that the field of teaching has changed a lot though, that "we’ve lost a little of the edge and discipline. We’re not as focused on bringing kids up," but instead we focus on testing.

At first, Mr. Albanese couldn’t think of a favorite memory. "That’s impossible." Then he said it was "seeing kids succeed."

1986 yearbook photo of Mr. Albanese.

"I had a kid graduate who didn’t think he was gonna make it," he says, apologizing for getting a little choked up.

His worst memories are when "you’re teaching kids, and you get upset with them. But we’re human, so that happens when someone pushes your buttons, so you have days like that. You want to take back what you said then."

After high school, Mr. Albanese will be going to Widener College...to be assistant coach of the women’s soccer team. 

"One of my best friends is head coach, we can be partners in crime," he says before admitting, "I can’t sit on my hands."

And with that, Mr. Albanese declared he’d "expended his quota for thoughts in a day," something none of us who have learned under him will ever believe.

--Justin Burkett, LSNews.org Managing Editor; Photo by Ashley Crutcher, LSNews.org Co-Director of Photography

Edited: BP