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Celebrating Forty-Eight Years In The Classroom With Joseph Samaritoni

photo by provided Still smiling and on the job with 48 years in teaching, Joseph Samaritoni will step back this year after teaching three generations of several families and 2500 young people.

photo by provided An educator who believes in creating life long learners, Samaritoni challenged and brought out the best in generations at VUES.

photo by provided Just one of the many classes who learned with and from Joe Samaritoni.

Tuesday June 20, 2017

By Cookie Steponaitis

It will be the end of an era for students at Vergennes Elementary School when school lets out this year. Three generations of many families have learned history, compassion and life lessons from Joe Samaritoni for the past forty-eight years. It was 1969 when Joe and Alice Samaritoni moved from Ohio to Addison County and since that day, students have been challenged, entertained, and have learned more than their share about how history connects us all as citizens of a global community.
   Truth be told Joseph Samaritoni started out his college career planning to be a pharmacist. While an avid history buff, Samaritoni and his siblings had always tended toward the science and math side of the spectrum. Two events converged in Samaritoni's life to redirect him to the path of teaching and choose the Humanities side of the house. “My most influential teacher was William Carver, my sophomore World History teacher,” shared Samaritoni. “He established a system of points and was hard to please. I figure out the system and my first marking period got an A. The second marking period I saw a B on the report card and went to him to see what was wrong. When I told him, I had earned the points he simply smiled and responded, ‘You can get a lot more than that.’ He always raised the bar.” The second catalyst presented itself in college and was called Organic Chemistry and while he could do it chemistry proved to lead Samaritoni to a K-12 degree in Social Sciences.
  Arriving in the midst of mud season for his interview at Vergennes Elementary, Joe and Alice looked around at the late winter that still held the Adirondacks in its grasp and almost did not stay. He was offered grades five and six Social Studies and Science and the couple set down roots. Samaritoni’s first class, including this reporter, began an epic journey involving ancient history, impressive swords, the Airplane Game and a passion for how Star Trek embraced messages of peace and acceptance in the face of prejudice and war. The couple welcomed children Alexander, Victor, Anthony, Maria, Marco, Gian and Emma from 1972 to 1990 and Joe began a career coaching and refereeing basketball, baseball and soccer for over twenty-five years.
   When you have worked with young adolescents for almost a half a century, you have witnessed shifts of what constitutes a good education. Samaritoni has seen the great, good and ludicrous come and go, but did share that the idea of teaming was his “Camelot” in education. “Actually, I at first opposed the concept,” shared Samaritoni. “I didn’t want to share or give up but found working with Kitty Muzzy and Sue Dula an incredible experience. We were able to not only mesh our ideas and our experiences, but we kept our strengths. Each of us taught reading, spelling and other subjects. It really was one of the highlights of my career to work in team with them.”
  While it is impossible to pick out favorite moments or classes because of the over 2500 students who have passed through his room, Samaritoni concludes that the gift he hopes he has given to his students is the concept that kindness and acceptance of others are the hallmarks of all life. “If you can get the Golden Rule across to the following generations,” expressed the veteran teacher,“the rest will fall into place.” With the advent of increased technology, Samaritoni integrated the new learning tools into his classroom but always maintained the balance of the students using their brains first and foremost. “I was teaching the concept of prejudice to the class and getting lots of nods and reciting of the definitions,” shared Samaritoni. “But you could tell that they really didn’t get it. So I used sports to help me get the point across. I introduced the rivalry between Ohio State and Michigan. I instructed them never to write the word Michigan State in my presence and the team was downplayed and ridiculed. It took them a while to make the connection but when they did the real learning began.”
   When former students gather to regale each other of stories of being in Mr. Sam’s room, without a doubt the White Bear Riddle, famed Ornamental Sword and the Airplane Game top the charts of creative ways that history came alive taking the facts out of books and into the hands of students. With a firm belief that students should never just gloss the surface of any form of learning, Samaritoni was mentor, coach and guide to each class of 5th and 6th graders. With plans for his retirement that include more gardening and an avid reading of his beloved Venetian History, Vermont History and the statement, “I don’t think there is any history that I don’t enjoy reading,” Samaritoni is ready to pass the baton and to newcomers in teaching and new graduates, Samaritoni offers his best advice. “Don’t try to do it alone,” concludes the Addison County institution. “Find other teachers to share ideas with, find a mentor and keep on growing and learning.” With a chuckle and a sea of returning sixth graders appearing at his door, Samaritoni shares one last story. “Sue Dula and Kitty Muzzy used to joke with me that we should teach World History using Broadway musicals. Now I am not musical so I told them to handle the singing and piano and I would stick to history. But you know what, that sure would have been fun to try.”
   Thank you Joe Samaritoni for forty-eight years of passion, patience and persistence to keep learning exciting and raising the bar for those who think the past is simply the story of dead people. Your room resonated with life, a tangible vibrancy and one this reporter remembers to this day. So from the Valley Voice and a young girl in that first class, smooth winds ahead for retirement.

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