Mike O’Malley College of Education
Genevieve Menino Alumna ’08 | College of Education
College of Health and Human Sciences
Connecting with subjects and students
For Mike O’Malley, teaching is all about relationships and connections.
“If you don’t make that personal connection, students won’t connect with the subject matter,” he says. “I’m energized by connecting with the students.”
O’Malley has passed that energy along to Genevieve Menino. Even when the day’s subject matter might be a bit dry, he’d make it interesting, she says. “You can tell when a professor has a passion for what they’re doing.”
As a student teacher at an Oregon City high school, Menino has seen the value of connections. “When you connect with the subject and your students, they’re more likely to remember and understand it,” she says. “It makes them feel important and want to put out better work.”
