A little bit about Mr. T...
I was born in San Francisco, California in a time when music was just moving to tapes and people remembered phone numbers. After high school I attended Santa Clara University near San Francisco (above left and center - it's beautiful there) and studied accounting and philosophy. After graduation, I moved to New York and worked for Ernst & Young LLP, a global accounting firm. After two years at EY, I decided that accounting wasn't for me and joined Teach for America. However, before teaching in the United States, I moved to Istanbul for a year (above right) and taught English courses for working people or university students trying to improve their English to open up better job opportunities. Istanbul is tremendous. The people are extremely warm and welcoming and the city is majestic in all of its history and culture. Go.
Back in the United States, I taught Algebra II, Algebra and Advanced Math at the Pablo Neruda Academy in the Soundview neighborhood of the Bronx for two years. Following that, I worked in the Achievement First charter school network in Crown Heights teaching 7th grade math. Starting in the fall of 2009, I began teaching Geometry at School of the Future High School in Gramercy Park. I taught Geometry and Algebra II at Future for four great years. Then Beacon in the fall of 2013.
When I'm not writing word problems, I love reading, playing and watching sports, going to performances of every kind in the city, cooking, playing any kind of game, and writing. My favorite books of all time are Homer's Iliad and Forever by Pete Hamill. I also read a lot about history and geopolitics, specifically the Roman Empire, the Middle East and Russian history. In the summer I read about baseball.
I have a big family including an older brother in California who works for a company that provides services for people with autism, a younger sister in her 20s who works in marketing in Chicago and a much younger sister who's going to Northwestern. She could have been my student once upon a time. Weird.
Back in the United States, I taught Algebra II, Algebra and Advanced Math at the Pablo Neruda Academy in the Soundview neighborhood of the Bronx for two years. Following that, I worked in the Achievement First charter school network in Crown Heights teaching 7th grade math. Starting in the fall of 2009, I began teaching Geometry at School of the Future High School in Gramercy Park. I taught Geometry and Algebra II at Future for four great years. Then Beacon in the fall of 2013.
When I'm not writing word problems, I love reading, playing and watching sports, going to performances of every kind in the city, cooking, playing any kind of game, and writing. My favorite books of all time are Homer's Iliad and Forever by Pete Hamill. I also read a lot about history and geopolitics, specifically the Roman Empire, the Middle East and Russian history. In the summer I read about baseball.
I have a big family including an older brother in California who works for a company that provides services for people with autism, a younger sister in her 20s who works in marketing in Chicago and a much younger sister who's going to Northwestern. She could have been my student once upon a time. Weird.
About my name... Traglio
I call this the Pasta Rule: In Italian, a 'g' followed by any vowel or an 'h' is voiced. Think of spaghetti or linguine. When a 'g' is followed by any other consonant, though, it is not voiced. (Because real g's roll in silence.) And if you want to be really paisan about it, there is a slight 'y' sound. Think of lasagna. And the "io" combination is a diphthong in Italian, so it is most accurately pronounced as one syllable.
So in all of its paisano glory, my surname is pronounced "trahl-yo" if you can roll your 'r' slightly. If that's not happening for you, I'm happy to be Mr. T.
I call this the Pasta Rule: In Italian, a 'g' followed by any vowel or an 'h' is voiced. Think of spaghetti or linguine. When a 'g' is followed by any other consonant, though, it is not voiced. (Because real g's roll in silence.) And if you want to be really paisan about it, there is a slight 'y' sound. Think of lasagna. And the "io" combination is a diphthong in Italian, so it is most accurately pronounced as one syllable.
So in all of its paisano glory, my surname is pronounced "trahl-yo" if you can roll your 'r' slightly. If that's not happening for you, I'm happy to be Mr. T.
