Faculty Spotlight Q&A with Mr. Robert Tierney, '97
Mr. Tierney (center), '97, teaches mathematics to sophomores and juniors. He also runs a number of programs at Farrell, including all of the intramual sports throughout the year.
Faculty Spotlight Q&A with Mr. Robert Tierney, '97
Mr. Robert Tierney graduated from Monsignor Farrell in 1997. He went on to attend Seton Hall University before returning to Farrell in Fall 2001 as a member of the mathematics department. This school year, Mr. Tierney celebrates 25 years of teaching and serving the Monsignor Farrell community.
Mr. Tierney has taught various different levels and mathematics courses during his time at Monsignor Farrell, currently teaching Mathematics GT to sophomores and Algebra 2 to juniors. He also has been the moderator for a number of different organizations and clubs. This includes serving as the coach of the bowling team and moderating all of the intramural sports seasons.
Mr. Tierney took time out of his busy day to speak to The Lion about his teaching career and his involvement in the Monsignor Farrell community. We thank him for his time!
What classes do you teach here at Farrell?
I teach Math 10GT and Math 11R.
You run several different clubs at Farrell. What are they and how do you manage to handle all of it?
I am in charge of the Intramural programs -- bocce, basketball and flag football -- at Farrell. I have help with the program from Ms. Weiss, Mr. Lieto, Mr. Scafuri, and Mr. Frasca.
I am also the head coach of the bowling team. I assist Mrs. Musanti with the Special Olympics club. I handle the distribution of the senior textbooks. And finally, I help Mrs. Tierney with the crew for the Farrell Players.
As a follow-up: What are some tips you might have for handling a heavy schedule?
It is difficult, but I make sure that I have people that I can rely on to help me, and this allows me to focus on the things that must be done first to make the programs run. That would be my biggest tip to handling a heavy schedule, make sure you get things done in order of importance.
Mr. Tierney poses for a photo with some members of last year's bowling team. Among the many things he does at Farrell, Mr. Tierney is the coach of the team.
What is it like dealing with stage crew and helping to build the set every year for the play?
Dealing with the stage crew is very demanding but also very fun. It is amazing to see how hard the students work and to see the talented artists and builders in the building excel at what they do. When they see their work on the stage, it is a really good feeling.
What has it been like to teach for 25 years at Farrell. What was it like as a student and then coming back to teach at Farrell?
It has been really nice teaching at Farrell for these past 25 years. It was difficult at first to get used to teachers that I had as a student being colleagues. The students have always shown themselves to be proper gentlemen during my time here.
What changes have you noticed over the course of your career?
The biggest change that I have had to deal with while teaching is moving from chalkboard to Smartboard. There was always a sense of enjoyment when my hands were full of chalk because that meant I had done my job well. The Smartboard is different in that I just have to look at the pages that I filled.
Mr. Tierney, who celebrates 25 years of teaching at Monsignor Farrell this year, poses with students during last year's Special Olympics Polar Plunge event.
What is your favorite part about Farrell?
My favorite part of Farrell is the students. When you see the understanding of a difficult topic in a student or if a student says something insightful to the lesson is such a great feeling.
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