Mrs. Golodolinski is an AP and Honors World History teacher that has taught at Centreville High School for the past twelve years. She is originally from Northeastern Ohio, but attended college in Buffalo, New York at Canisuis College. Then, she moved down to Washington D.C. to attend graduate school at George Washington University, earning her master’s degree in history before pursuing a degree in teaching.

Mrs Golo’s passion for teaching stems from her students, and the progress that she sees in her students. “When they start out in AP World, some of them [the students] don’t think they can handle handle a class like that but over time and through hard work, they gain all these skills. It is really great to see the progress, the growth throughout the year.  By the end of the year, they can look back at everything they have done. It is pretty incredible for students to master all those skills and to go from not being able to construct an essay to being able to write multiple styles of essays…their thinking style has changed.” It was clear to see that she cares about her students and that while their grades are important, their personal growth is important too.

After teaching the class over the years, Mrs. Golo believes that self- motivation is key. “By providing them with the tools and resources necessary it allows [the students] to build up their skills each unit test which allows them to begin to feel more confident.” Each AP class anyone taken during the course of a student’s high school career is difficult in its own way, but with AP World being one of the first students take, it is the first experience where the normal way of thinking is challenged. Having had Mrs. Golo as my AP World teacher, I was able to realize that I, as a student, was capable of taking my learning to the next level as she made sure to instill in me that just because something is tough, it does not mean you will not grow and experience new things from it.

Reflecting back on the years she has taught here, Mrs. Golo could not help but praise the wonderful teaching environment at CVHS. “ I have a lot of support from the teachers in the department. It is a great community…the Social Studies department has always tried to do things together and I think that we have our pockets of support at the school.” School spirit also has been a common sight in the years that she has been teaching adding that “Centreville has so much  school spirit, which is something that has stood out to me in the last 12 years. The teachers really get into the school spirit and support the students in all that they do.” Above all is the diversity of CVHS, which is something Mrs. Golo appreciates above all. “Centreville is so diverse. I do not think students realize what an advantage they have over other parts of the country. [Students] go to school with all kinds of backgrounds and cultures. When I grew up it was very homogeneous. That is what I love the most about Centreville… it is such an amazing thing that sets you up for the real world.”

In a world where technology is more and more evident in all of parts of life, teachers have had to adapt like the rest of us. When I asked Mrs. Golo on how she thinks teaching will evolve in this modern era of technology, it was evident that she believed both teachers and students are going to be heading into a new direction together. “Teachers are going to have to experiment with ways to integrate computers and other technology into the classroom. It is interesting because I teach a class like AP World where the exam is all hand written so I am stuck in this world where everything has to be hand written but yet we are moving towards an era where that will be happening less and less which is why it is important to find a balance so students still can get both.”

Thinking back to my year in AP World, I was so fortunate to have Mrs. Golodolinksi because she not only further fueled my passion for history with the discussions we had, but she set me up with the key skills you need in any AP class going forward: the ability to believe in yourself and to think beyond the limits of your borders. I have no doubt that she will always continue to value her students the way she does now, setting them up for continued confidence and success in all they venture into in the future.