Ms. DiIorio, the only business teacher at WHS, currently teaches accounting, entrepreneurship, marketing, computer applications, computer programming, web design, and business law. When asked about why she came back to teach at her former high school, Ms. DiIorio emphasized that “it is a privilege to teach in the community I grew up in.”
A reporter for The Forum had the opportunity to sit down with Ms. DiIorio to discuss the route that brought her back to Wilton High School.
Tell me a story about yourself:
“This is my first year as a business education teacher at Wilton High School. I also grew up in this town and am a Wilton High School alumni.”
Ms. DiIorio added, “It takes being away from here to realize how incredible this town, this community, and the traditions are. I realized how much I missed that.”
Where it all began:
It seems appropriate that Ms. DiIorio should teach business at WHS. To obtain the credit requirements for graduation, Ms DiIorio was thrown into an accounting class during her senior year of high school, thus marking the start of her business education journey. Though she desperately tried everything to get out of it at the time, she eventually realized that she particularly enjoyed the class and even ended up majoring in Business Administration and Financial Management at Ithaca College.
Experiences in the “real world”:
During college, Ms. DiIorio interned at Coastal Bridge Advisors. She graduated from college early, landing a job at Merrill Lynch in Manhattan. Though she valued her time there, she felt unfulfilled because she was resisting the career path meant for her: “When you’re fighting against the universe, you’re miserable.”
The biggest lesson learned from her corporate experience is the importance of boundaries and practicing work-life balance. “I take my job seriously. I always stress the importance of having a work-life balance. I struggled with my corporate career because I didn’t know how to take care of my mental health. I didn’t know how to establish boundaries.”
Through growing up in Wilton, Ms. DiIorio has developed a true passion for financial literacy and decided to obtain her master’s degree in Business Education at the University of Bridgeport.
“I initially thought that I was going to save the world by working with ultra-high net worth individuals, but then I realized that I wanted to help high school students and younger people.”
“If you know how to manage your money from a young age, you can be successful, and you’re not going to feel like you’re drowning in debt. You won’t fall into these common pitfalls.”
In regards to Ms. DiIorio, teaching business skills to people has made her successful. DiIorio emphasizes that “Success isn’t defined by where you went to college or what degree, job, or title you have. Success is having your family around you and doing things that make you happy. Why are we all competing with each other? It’s not fulfilling. I got sucked into that.”
One’s path may not always be linear, but they have to take risks and try new things before finding what works for them.
WHS as a teacher:
When asked about her teaching experience thus far, Ms. DiIorio expresses her empathy for students because as an alumni herself, she understands the stress and pressure that they are under. Amidst all this stress, however, she strongly urges students to be present in all of their endeavors.
“I told my entrepreneurship students on the first day that they’re here for 86 minutes. But when they’re not here, they’re going to think about it subconsciously, I hope. I want my students out there to experience their clubs, sports teams, jobs, and all those activities because being present in those things is going to make them better students.”
Through taking her own advice about being present in her endeavors, Ms. DiIorio recognizes that teaching students is not a business, but rather a passion.
“My approach to teaching is being the teacher I needed. I guess you can say I try to live up to the ‘pleasure to have in class’ comments I used to get on my report card. When I think about the teachers who had the greatest impact on me, they had one thing in common: they got to know me as a person and made me feel safe taking risks in their class.”
“One teacher who was really good at this was an English teacher named Mr. Kobin. He was the most eccentric and wacky teacher in WHS history. He would talk to his imaginary friend during class and had a stuffed animal rat that he kept in his shirt pocket named Sr. Sylvester Grrrkslot. He would walk up to people in the hallway with the rat and make the most absurd out-of-pocket comments, anything to make us laugh and bring a smile to our faces.”
“Sometimes when I act a little wacky in class I am channeling my inner Kobin, knowing it will work wonders to bring a smile to all of your faces. As teachers, we can not expect our students to be bold and innovative, if we ourselves are not being bold and innovative right alongside them. This is especially true in entrepreneurship, where you all have to be bold and innovative in your business ventures.”
From a former student to a colleague, Ms. DiIorio now experiences a new level of camaraderie among the WHS faculty: “I feel like I can go to any of my old teachers for help. I’m still new at this, and I have a lot to learn. I’m not afraid to admit when I don’t know things. It doesn’t show weakness. It shows humanity. We can figure things out together. In life, you can leverage your resources, get to know people, and use them as connections to help grow your practice.”
Most of Ms. DiIorio’s teachers still teach at the high school; however, one thing Ms. DiIorio struggles with is now having to call them by their first name “like Mr. Walsh, who is still Mr. Walsh, not Mike.”
Looking back:
As a student at the high school, DiIorio remembers how “The pep rally and spirit week were wild. It was very over the top. It was a big thing that everyone went to. The swim team would paint all the seniors and throw candy and all the other sports teams would try to copy the swim team.”
It was these events and light-hearted rivalries that prompted students to show up for each other– something that still happens at WHS today.
Our teachers also make us feel loved. They show us that this is our community. They show us that we belong here, and how they do so is through their positive interactions with students.
When asked about one of her favorite class rituals, Ms. DiIorio explains, “One of my favorite parts of the day is standing outside my door before class starts to greet all of my students. I love this time before class! It allows me to check in with each of my students before they walk in the door. I genuinely get excited to see all of them, I promise it is not for show.”
Taking this from her own high school experience, she adds, “When I was a student I would notice when a teacher would do this. There are two teachers that I always think of when I do this 1. Mrs. Cherico (and I tell her I do it because of her all of the time), and Mrs. DeSimone, my beloved health teacher who is no longer with us.”
How it’s going:
Things are also quite different now. Upon reflecting on her time in high school, Ms. DiIorio expresses “When you were stressed out, you were on your own. Everyone was in a stress bubble. Now we’ve done a better job at not glorifying the stress. Now we have ways to overcome it.”
Through opening up about her struggles with dyslexia, Ms. DiIorio strives to empower students by emphasizing grit and hard work. “I’m dyslexic. Nobody was open about it back then, but I try to normalize it. I get it when you guys tell me that you’re struggling because I did too. I struggled, but I tried so hard to overcome that. I read so much now, and this year I’ve just finished my 104th book for the year.
If our teachers can overcome such challenges, then so can we. That’s why having teachers like Ms. DiIorio is so refreshing. We need these brave figures in our lives and are so grateful to have them.
“Having a classroom community that supports one another is important to me. I always leave a spot on the board for students to share sports and performing arts events, so we are aware of what’s happening. Showing up for each other matters, that’s why you’ll usually find me at a sports event, or performing arts event. It shows my students that I care about who they are outside of my class.”
In her short time here, Ms. DiIorio has truly blossomed as a business educator and continuously expresses her gratitude to the Wilton community.
“We’re very fortunate to be where we are. We have all the resources we need here. WHS is truly the best high school. The teachers who had the biggest impact on me are still here. I love being able to work alongside them and learn from them.”
As a business teacher at the high school, Ms. DiIorio prioritizes her connection with her fellow staff members, students, and the high school itself, leaving a lasting impact on students and colleagues alike. In a changing world that requires business literacy skills to be successful, our writers at The Forum are so excited to see what she will do next.
