Center for Catholic Education at UD

By Victoria Schoen

Next we would like to introduce you to Dominic Masotti. Dominic is 23 and he is from Denver, Colorado. Dominic graduated from Xavier University and is in his 2^nd year of the Lalanne program. He is teaching at Cleveland Central Catholic School in the Cleveland community this year! Here are Dominic’s answers to the questions we asked him:

What is your favorite subject to teach? Math

What is your favorite subject to learn? Anything Math, Science, Philosophy, Religion related. I suppose I cast a wide net in this regard.

What is the one most important thing that you want your students to learn from you or take away from your teaching? I want them to learn so much, it’s hard to say one thing. I suppose I want them to come away from the class with a distinct experience. One that brings clarity to both how they view the world mathematically and how important their independent thoughts are. To make connections and in this independent manner can really bring clarity to not only your surroundings but to who you are as a person.

Who is your role model? Describe them: It absolutely has to be my parents. They have somehow successfully channeled all of their positive traits and funneled them into who I am as a person. My mom is such a thoughtful, caring, and compassionate person. She is determined, independent and always stands by her opinions with such impressive conviction. My dad is an incredibly humble, firm, humorous and analytically minded human being. He does not let emotions over rule his preferred state of mind and brings such peace and clarity to all things in his life. They are incredible people.

How were you inspired to become a teacher? I was inspired to become a teacher when I started figuring out who I was as a person in college. It’s such a cliché, but I had no idea what my strengths were in high school. It wasn’t until college when I realized that I possessed a lot of teacher-esque qualities that could really benefit high school aged students. Qualities that my personal math teachers never always displayed.

Why did you decide to become a teacher? I knew I wanted to become a teacher when I realized both how much I loved helping others and explaining new things. Both of these aspects not only excite me but bring so much to my life. Providing an act of service for others by establishing relationship and teaching new things made it an easy decision.

Why do you want to teach in Catholic schools? Catholic schools are unique because of the natural community that is fostered because of the ability to be faithful. The students feel a closeness and bond to one another that is not always present in public schools.

What are three fun facts about you? 

In high school, I toured 8 countries in Europe, performing with Colorado’s “finest” high school musicians.

I have eaten the same breakfast since the 6^th grade.

I only applied to two colleges in high school. And I didn’t apply to Xavier until March of senior year.

If you could teach anywhere in the world where would you teach?

Somewhere that is both close to family and friends and in need.

Keep reading to see what other Lalanne teachers have to say about Dominic:

“Living with Dom has helped me to become more curious about the world around me. He is always thinking and asking questions about the world around him. This perspective has helped me to widen my view of the world around me.”

“Dominic is a very genuine person who truly cares about the people in his life and is very inquisitive.”

“Dom tells the greatest stories.  He could talk about a blank piece of paper for 20 minutes and I would still be intrigued.”

“Dominic is a curious and intelligent man, with dedication to being the best he can in everything he does.”

“Dominic is highly passionate about everything he does, including his food. He is very passionate about chicken, beans, and rice. His passions also include teaching math to high school students. In fact, he loves math so much that one of his favorite quotes is:

‘There are infinite numbers between 0 and 1. There’s .1 and .12 and .112 and an infinite collection of others. Of course, there is a bigger infinite set of numbers between 0 and 2, or between 0 and a million. Some infinities are bigger than other infinities.… I cannot tell you how grateful I am for our little infinity. You gave me forever within the numbered days, and I’m grateful.’ – The Fault in Our Stars.

Dom looks in the mirror every morning and repeats this quote out loud. He has a poster of it in his classroom and it inspires his students to appreciate math and every moment in life.”