Teachers face mix of new, old challenges

In the midst of its first major interior facelift in more than 30 years, bright new classrooms are now wrapped inside the building's brick facade, which remains unchanged since 1936.

The building in some ways reflects the teaching staff, with veterans working side by side with rookies, continuing a long tradition at this school of valuing experience and fostering homespun growth.

Almost at the end of his 37th year of teaching, William Mecca stands in front of his general chemistry class on the second floor, sporting a short-sleeved white shirt and tie.

As students sit, he explains: To get a gram equivalent weight, simply take the compound's formula weight and divide it by the charge of its initial ions.

Crammed into the school's chemistry lab, the 20 juniors in this early morning class pound away at calculator buttons and scribble feverishly in notebooks. All in their efforts to get the right answer.

They work in cramped quarters as construction continues. The school's entire student body is packed into half the space as work progresses on the building nestled in the heart of town.

Mr. Mecca, 58, may know this place better than anyone. He's walked these halls for more than four decades -- first as a student, then as a teacher.

He came to Dunmore High School as a 14-year-old freshman. He graduated in 1960 and, except for four years at the University of Scranton where he earned a bachelor's degree, he's spent every school day here.

"I've been here for over 40 years of my life," he says, facing yet another class of chemistry students.

Teaching has always been what he has wanted to do. And, like many who teach at Dunmore, he was born and bred in this town of 14,000.

Just like his mentor and teacher, the late John Banks.

"When I came back here, Mr. Banks was leaving the next year," Mr. Mecca said. "He took me under his wing. He was a big influence on my life and a very good teacher."

Mr. Banks was a foot soldier in World War I and joined the Navy as a corpsman is World War II. "He was in his 40s -- a single guy. He didn't have to join."

With almost four decades of teaching, Mr. Mecca has noticed the changes -- and the constants -- of public education.

When he began, chemistry instruction focused on learning and regurgitating facts, figures and formulas. Today, it's more theoretical, with the emphasis on problem solving.

Even the periodic table has expanded over the years -- and that's not the only worry for today's students.

"The home has changed tremendously since I started," he says. "Families aren't as stable. There are a lot of broken homes."

Coupled with more prevalent alcohol and drug problems, he contends that students lives are more complex, with more distractions ripping them away from their studies.

"But kids are kids," he continues. "They want discipline and they really want to learn."

Not long ago, one of those "kids" was William O'Malley.

Now in his sophomore year teaching history at his alma mater, the 1994 graduate is also finding his way around a building he knows well.

"We'll talk about the elections, then it's back to World War II," he tells his morning American Cultures II class.

Today's lesson includes a history of the Air Force and Franklin Delano Roosevelt's fireside chats.

With a boyish face making him look younger than some of the 11th-graders filling the room, Mr. O'Malley is forging his own path as a teacher.

Despite his youthful appearance and easy-going manner, the 25-year old says he is a strict disciplinarian.

"If you let them go on some things, then the flood gates open," he says. "I expect the same from them as an experienced teacher. But it's probably tougher on me because I look so young. I think I have to be extra strict.

"I send the message that I'm not easy and you will work hard."

He works hard, too.

Preparing for a class he's never before taught takes up a good deal of his time. And there's all those papers, quizzes and tests to be graded and recorded. He also likes to keep up on his reading.

And, like many other teachers at Dunmore, he's involved in the school's sports program, serving as announcer and timekeeper for girls basketball games and manning the chains at football games.

"So many people here are called 'coach'," he says with a laugh.

He credits the support of other teachers with the success of his rookie season.

"They are right there to help me along and show me the ropes," he says, adding many are the same teachers that stood in front of his classes just a few years back.

"Basically, they are still teaching me."

It was also those same teachers that convinced him to pursue a career in education.

"One day, a light bulb went off," he said with a laugh.

He, too, tries, to pass on the passion for education and the importance of preparing for college.

"That's my big speech on the first day of school," he explains, adding that the choice is between finding a job you love and one that's a day-by-day grind.

"Here's where you can do something about it," he says. "You can enjoy going to work everyday. I do."