We recently had the pleasure of chatting with Giovanni D’Angelo, a Humanities professor at SPIRE Academy. We discussed his experiences and how he is shaping students’ minds at this esteemed academy and sports boarding school.

With his diverse background in wrestling, boxing, mixed martial arts and soccer, his love of sports is matched only by the joy he finds teaching history, civics and cultural awareness.

Q: You work at a sports boarding school – were you involved in any sports growing up? Do you have a sport that you follow now?

A: I have a background in wrestling, boxing, mixed martial arts, and soccer. I enjoy watching local sports and live matches.

Q: Tell us a little bit about how you found yourself teaching in the Humanities field…is this something you’ve always wanted to do?

A: I began my collegiate career on the law school path, earning a Bachelor’s in History with a minor in Political Science. During college, I worked on several political campaigns ranging from local elections to the Presidential race. I earned a full ride to law school where I led a study group. My law school experience ended my interest in the practice of law but illuminated my interest in teaching history, civics, and cultural awareness. I earned my Master’s in Education and teaching license during the COVID-19 pandemic and never looked back.

Q: What does your day-to-day look like as a Humanities Faculty? Anything students would find particularly interesting?

A: Family is everything. I wake up every morning and make my wife breakfast and lunch. Then I take care of my animals while planning my lessons. For every video I show in class I generally watch three on the topic to ensure the quality of what I present to students. I try to work out four times a week and often use this time to reflect on my lessons. If you have ever had a lesson from me that feels spur of the moment it is because I found a topic, resource, or activity that I cannot resist.

Q: What’s one aspect of Humanities that you find interesting & want to share with us & your students?

A: I’m most interested in society’s interpretation of history and philosophy to develop future literacy. I enjoy connecting literature and media to Humanities to contrast reality with our aspirations.

Q: Do you have any defining moments that you look back on as a professor? Like a key moment in your personal success/growth.

A: In my 20th Century Conflicts class I brought in my Xbox to play video games connected to our content. I have had students approach me during office hours to play the game and talk about the material. At that moment I was just a big brother/mentor figure and let my students feel seen.

Q: What’s something about SPIRE’s Academic program that you find different from any other school you’ve taught at?

A: I appreciate our freedom and flexibility. We are not bound by a canned curriculum and have great autonomy in choosing resources and material to teach. This allows us to behave in a collegiate manner and make good on our promise to prepare students for the future.

Q: What wisdom do you want to pass along to SPIRE student athletes?

A: Growth Mindset. Obstacles are opportunities to grow and improve. We frame our circumstances by our perception; a horror movie can be an action movie if you add a hero.

Q: What’s a cause you support & why?

A: My wife and I donate to numerous animal shelters and all our pets come from rescues. We are also firmly committed to minimizing waste; whether that is keeping livestock that cut down on food waste or donating our unwanted items to charity. Fundamentally I believe we must be stewards of the environment and balance progress with protecting our planet.

Q: What are you listening to/watching on TV these days?

A: I highly recommend LibriVox audiobooks which are typically free on YouTube. I thoroughly enjoy The Continental Op stories of Dashiell Hammett. On television, I recommend Avatar the Last Airbender for its world building and character development. The show provides a great balance between handling mature concepts such as war, politics, and culture while not being gratuitous or vulgar.

Q: If you could have a superpower, which would you choose?

A: Strength. Originally Superman did not have the power of flight which is why early comics used the phrase “leap tall buildings in a single bound”.

Q: What does your ideal vacation look like?

A: Wherever I go I want to bring my family and experience a new culture or perspective. I enjoy new food and adventures.

Q: What does the perfect Friday night look like? Or conversely, what does the perfect Sunday look like?

A: Either are the same. The family getting together and eating a good meal.

Q: Final thoughts? Anything you’d like to share?

A: I feel so lucky to teach at SPIRE. Everyone here brings their own unique gifts and talents to the academic experience, and I never know what to expect when I come into work each day.