By Tom Nader

Publisher and Editor

The “Coaches in the Classroom” feature is a weekly series that spotlights and celebrates coaches throughout Portage County, who spend their days in the classrooms and hallways leading today’s student-athletes to be tomorrow’s leaders.

Today’s spotlight is on Rootstown High School’s Joe Siciliano, who is a Social Studies, Language Arts and World History teacher at Rootstown Middle School and Rootstown High School and is in his first season as the Rovers’ boys basketball head coach.

• School District: Rootstown Local.
• How many years have you taught at Rootstown: 10 years.
• Classes: 6th Grade Social Studies, 8th Grade Language Arts, 8th Grade Social Studies, 9th Grade World History.
• What made you want to become an educator?: I had some fantastic teachers growing up that not only focused on the teaching, but also the positive interactions with students. They made a huge impact on who I am as a person today.
• What is your favorite part of the job?: I love teaching Social Studies, but my favorite part is just interacting and talking with students.
• What have you learned about being an educator that you didn’t know before you started?: No teacher has it all figured out at any point in their career.
• Which teachers influenced you to go into education?: Mrs. Huth-Mercer, Mrs. Barzellato, Mr. Hood, Mr. Jewel, Mr. Campbell. These are just a few who had an impact on me, and I model my class around how they ran their classes.
• How do you apply some of your coaching to the classroom?: I try to teach life lessons throughout, just like I do when I coach. Also, the discipline to be successful is the same in both the classroom and on the court.
• How do you apply some of your classroom to your coaching?: Patience! If I show patience with my students, I have to show the same amount with my athletes — even if it means slowing something down for them to understand to be successful.
• Funniest thing that has ever happened to you in a classroom?: In my first year, I had a student sit on top of the trash can and accidentally slid in and got stuck.
• Mentors in your building who have helped you along the way?: Eric Daniels, Kyle Barkhurst, Rob Campbell, Denise Huth-Mercer, Staley Jewel.