Ms. Amanda Costagliola

For this year’s Teacher Appreciation Week, I am nominating speech teacher/therapist Ms. Amanda Costagliola as not only my most impactful teacher, but also as a mentor-like figure and a great person to just talk to. I initially began seeing her last year during my sophomore year due to struggles with interactions and difficulty with understanding certain aspects of myself. She has beyond helped, even if I was quite uncertain and nervous at first. We met more often then, and she gave me suggestions, tools, and guidance. Eventually, I no longer needed as much assistance and began to see her less, but I nonetheless enjoy still seeing her now. Since I don’t require as much assistance anymore, we mainly begin with how school is going and if there are any current struggles and triumphs. Afterwards, we usually start talking about any random topic, whether it interests her, me, or both of us. If I express any issue, she still goes above and beyond in helping and suggesting tools and solutions, which are well appreciated. There isn’t one memory in particular that stands out because all our interactions change, and we both discuss things we enjoy with each other. Also, since my fixations change often we talk about different topics usually every meeting. Overall, she has helped me in so many ways, allowing me to discuss my interests and provide ideas for really anything, and I cannot think of any other teacher who has helped me to such an extent. When interviewed and asked what makes her believe that she has become such an impactful teacher, she explained, “Here at Lakeland, I follow a philosophy of “Be the teacher you needed in high school.” I was fortunate enough to have a lot of support to help me cope with the challenges I faced as a teen and I feel so lucky to be able to provide that to students now.”