OATE Newsletter
Volume 1 Issue 2 : Fall 2025
New Editor for the Ohio Journal of Teacher Education
The New Editor for the Ohio Journal of Teacher Education is Dr. Bill Visco, Associate Professor of Education at the University of Akron. Dr. Visco’s current research focuses on student/teacher perceptions of popular culture usage in the English classroom and training pre-service teachers to effectively use pop culture and technology to motivate, enhance, and improve student's literacy learning and as a way to develop social emotional learning practices to benefit all.
At the University of Akron Dr. Visco supervises ELA student teaching as well as the UA/Barberton School District Clinical Experience known as P.I.E.C.E.S. (Pre-Service In-School Educational Collaborative Experiences with Students). This lived-in model of student teacher preparation focuses on group teaching and mentoring of at-risk youth while allowing students the chance to plan, teach, and reflect together throughout their fall semester before student teaching on their own in the Spring. In addition, Dr. Visco teaches Techniques in Teaching AYA ELA, Content Area Literacy, and other education courses in the undergraduate and master's program. Furthermore, he is opening up the new Akron Professional Pop-culture Library and Education Studio (APPLES) on campus in Akron to help pre-service and current teachers develop lessons utilizing pop culture.
Dr. Visco is looking forward to developing the journal into something all teachers not just in Ohio, but throughout the country read. He is looking to make this into a journal that will house professorial research, practitioner-based teaching ideas and tips, and student/pre-service teacher research/articles as well. The hope is to create a journal that allows for multiple viewpoints and helps both current and future Ohio teachers be the best in the country.
Questions about submitting a manuscript to the journal? Contact Dr. Visco at wvisco@uakron.edu.
Outgoing Editor of the Ohio Journal of Teacher Education
The Executive Board of the Ohio Association of Teacher Educators proudly recognizes Dr. Thomas Knestrict for outstanding service as the Editor of the Ohio Journal of Teacher Education. Through exceptional leadership, vision, and dedication, Tom has elevated the quality, reach, and impact of the journal. His commitment to scholarly excellence, support of authors and reviewers, and unwavering pursuit of innovation have strengthened the journal’s reputation and advanced the field. This recognition celebrates not only Tom’s editorial expertise, but also his enduring contributions to the Association and to teacher education. The recipient of the Bishop Fenwick Teacher of the Year, a master teacher with over 30 years of classroom and university experience, a scholar in the field of resiliency in parents who are raising children with special needs – Tom is a Professor of Education at Xavier University.
Introduce yourself and briefly describe where and who you are teaching.
Hi, all! My name is Zara Scaccio, and I am a first-year teacher at Bio-Med Science Academy in Rootstown, OH, where I have the pleasure of teaching 10th and 11th grade English Language Arts. In addition, I am currently working towards a Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Reading Specialization at Kent State University. I am passionate about supporting students as they grow as readers, writers, and thinkers, and I love finding ways to make learning engaging and meaningful. Outside of school, I enjoy reading, being outdoors, and spending time with friends and family. I am looking forward to building a welcoming classroom community and a great school year ahead!
Why did you choose to be a teacher?
I chose to be a teacher because I’ve always loved working with young people and seeing the unique strengths they bring to the table. I believe education has the power to change lives, and I want to be part of helping students discover their potential. Teaching also gives me the chance to share my love of reading and writing while encouraging students to think critically about the world around them. I’m passionate about creating a supportive, welcoming space where students feel valued and capable of success. Ultimately, I became a teacher because I want to make a difference in my students’ lives and help them grow both academically and personally.
What are you most excited about as you begin your teaching career?
As I begin my teaching career, I am most excited about building relationships with my students and creating a classroom community where everyone feels welcome and supported. I can’t wait to see my students grow throughout the year as they challenge themselves and gain confidence in their abilities. I’m looking forward to finding creative ways to make learning engaging and meaningful, while also learning from my students along the way. The idea of helping students discover their own voices as readers, writers, and thinkers really excites me. Most of all, I’m eager to begin this journey and see the positive impact we can create together.
What, if any, challenges to you expect?
As I begin my teaching career, I expect there will be challenges as I learn to balance planning, grading, and building meaningful connections with my students. Classroom management will also be an area where I know I will continue to grow, since every group of students has different needs and dynamics. I anticipate that time management may be difficult at first as I adjust to the fast pace of teaching. Another challenge may be finding the right strategies to reach every student, especially when they learn in such unique ways. Even with these challenges, I see them as opportunities to grow and become a stronger teacher over time!
Associate Professor of Education, Malone University
How do you help your students build resilience for the profession?
Within our education courses at Malone University, we intentionally and proactively address the issue of burnout, approaching it from both secular and faith-based perspectives. We emphasize the importance of “working smarter, not harder” by teaching future educators how to self-monitor their time, energy, and priorities to sustain themselves in the profession, and to use all available tools and support when they are available.
One of the greatest blessings of teaching at a Christian university is that faith is woven into everything we do. We remind our students that resilience is not something they must carry alone. By helping students deepen their faith, we equip them with a foundation they can lean on during challenging seasons. In addition, they are able to build a strong community of Christian peers, creating a supportive network that will continue to encourage and strengthen them throughout their journey as educators.
What do you see as the biggest challenges facing new teachers today?
One of the most pressing challenges confronting new teachers is the persistent issue of low compensation. In Ohio, the average starting salary for educators remains well below national norms at just over $40,000. This starting pay falls short of a living wage and is far below the starting salaries of similarly educated professionals. Because of this, many college students are choosing better paying, alternative career paths, leaving a shortage of new teachers. In the United States, teaching licenses being issued has declined by about one-third over the last 10 years. When schools have a shortage of licensed teachers, working conditions decline for both teachers and students in the building!
The second major challenge relates to constrained professional autonomy, driven by a rigid emphasis on “fidelity” to curricula in many districts. While curricular frameworks can promote consistency, when implemented without flexibility, they diminish teacher agency and fail to honor educators’ expertise or ability to adapt instruction to individual learners. When educators are simply delivering prescribed lessons rather than thoughtfully applying their knowledge of their students and content, both their satisfaction and effectiveness suffer.
In one of my recent Student Teaching Seminars, I had two teacher candidates discussing how the district where they were student teaching handled teachers who failed to “follow the script.” They were disheartened and confused by this heavy-handed, top-down pressure and micromanagement with one stating, “Why did I just go to college for four years?” Currently the profession simply does not value teachers who think deeply about teaching practices, ask great questions, and problem-solve on their own when it comes to academics. Practicing educators are consistently told that they don’t know more than a commercial program or an administrator in charge within their district.
How do you see teacher education evolving in the next 10 years?
I believe the field of education will undergo significant transformation over the next 10 years, particularly through the integration of technology and shifts in how we approach teaching and learning. Artificial intelligence and adaptive tools hold great potential to personalize instruction, reduce administrative burdens, and provide deeper analysis of data to guide instructional decisions. However, this will require a mindset shift at both the university and K–12 levels. Instead of focusing primarily on policing students’ use of AI for academic integrity, professors and educators will need to embrace its role as a powerful tool for enhancing learning. This will require intensive and ongoing professional development, and an exploration of ways AI can authentically support the teaching and learning process.
In addition, we’ve already seen a rapid shift in Ohio regarding cell phones in schools. Not long ago, they were introduced into classrooms as “tools for learning,” but both formal data and informal observations now show that cell phones are rarely used to support learning and, instead, have created a highly distracted and disconnected environment. Moving forward, I believe schools will continue to grapple with the role of all devices including phones, iPads, and laptops as we work to ensure that technology integration truly enhances learning.
At the same time, national and local conversations must continue to address the persistent challenges of low salaries and teacher burnout. Ideally, this dialogue will lead to meaningful change in compensation, professional respect, and working conditions. We must find ways to make teaching a sustainable career path.
