The class comes in as passing time ends, and the students open their notebooks for a Do-now. Yet their usual teacher is not standing at the front of the classroom, and this is no sick day.

US History and Documentary film teacher Mr. McCrary left on family leave starting from May 19th to June 20th, the end of school.

In his stead, Mr. Manzo, long term substitute, will teach his classes.

Mr. Manzo graduated from Don Bosco Prep High school, playing many sports including, specifically, football. After his time at Bosco, he enrolled at Rowan University in Glassboro, NJ. After graduating early in just three and a half years, he attained two degrees in history and education.

Mr. Manzo told The Glen Echo that he went into education to contribute back to the community. When asked about his motivation to obtain his degree in history, he replied, “I always had a passion for history, especially the 19^th century and the Cold War.”

After college Mr. Manzo taught at West Essex regional High School as a temporary leave replacement, where he taught US History I and II.

Even though Mr. Manzo will only be teaching for just about one month here at Glen Rock, he already feels comfortable teaching. “The administration helped to prepare me for what’s to come and my confidence,” he explained in a recent interview.

Mr. Manzo incorporates into his lesson plans do-nows, Prezi presentations with color coated notes, and an exit card. He structures the class so that the students are doing something different every five minutes: whether it is listening to a lecture or watching a clip on the internet, to answering critical thinking questions. He also collects classwork to track students’ progress throughout the unit.

But maybe the best part about Mr. Manzo’s teaching method is his encyclopedic strength as a teacher. He said the most important aspects of teaching are “knowing the subject matter, organization, time management and being adaptive.”

Many students agree that Mr. Manzo has filled in Mr. Mcrary’s role nicely.

Eric Cosgriff (’16), a student in period two, said, “Mr. Manzo is a delight in the classroom and a good change of pace.”

“I believe our school is privileged to have someone like him on our faculty board,” Itay Kazaz (’16) told The Glen Echo. “He is a great influence on his students.”

Tyler Reed (’16), “The Prezi presentations are interesting and a fun way to learn.”