After a stream of substitute teachers and temporary fixes, Ms. Malanka’s AP Lang classes and other English teachers finally feel a sense of relief. Not because IDTs replaced substitutes, and not because Malanka has returned, but instead because these temporary fixes have been replaced by something—or should we say someone?—better. After some English teachers had to take on a sixth class and students struggled with the inconsistency of rotating teachers, Mr. Mark Porto came to save the day. Though he is just at THS until Malanka’s highly anticipated return, he has already brought a steady routine back to the classroom.
After graduating from Seton Hall’s college seminary with a master’s degree in theology, Porto pursued a career in pharmaceutical advertising. However, that career was short-lived: he soon earned his PhD in philosophy and began teaching at St. John’s University and, later, at other colleges.
In a crazy turn of events, Porto began working as a high school teacher after an English teacher at Hackensack High School was arrested in the classroom. Porto was friendly with the Hackensack superintendent, who thought Porto would be fit for the job. At first, he was hesitant to take it, as “[his] parents were both teachers and he never wanted to be like [them].” Though reluctant, he took the job because he was intrigued by the abundance of free time during summer breaks and holidays off.
Porto quickly thrived in his high school teaching job, working his way up the ladder. After six years as an English teacher, he was promoted to the principal of Hackensack High School. A few years later, he was named superintendent of the Hasbrouck Heights district and then of Garfield, before retiring.
After his teaching hiatus, Porto came out of retirement for the second time, following Ms. Malanka’s leave of absence. He said he heard about the job through the English supervisor, Dr. Lisa Castelluber, who thought he would be the perfect fit because he had prior AP teaching experience.
Coming to Tenafly has opened Porto’s eyes, as “the quality and level of the students are outstanding,” he said. “For the first time, the discussions and the quality of discussion about writing are what I would normally expect from graduate students. I’m having conversations with students who are probably better writers than I am, and I’ve never really had that opportunity before. I’m actually learning from students.”
And the students are not the only ones who amaze Porto; he described his new colleagues as “amazing professionals,” even complimenting Mr. Whitehead, the Journalism teacher and The Echo advisor, saying “I hope the administration realizes what [Whitehead] is accomplishing isn’t really done in many other high schools in the country.”
While he is amazed by the students, the students are also impressed with his unique teaching style. Rather than lecturing, Porto believes that students learn best from collaboration and listening to peers. He sees this approach as networking, which he believes is “crucial to success.”
“I’ve discovered that students teach each other better than I can,” he said. “Hearing advice from me is one thing, but hearing it from someone who is in the same place as them is completely different.”
Though students and faculty alike are impressed by the teacher Porto has been, after this school year, Porto plans to return to his retirement. When he first retired, he got into real estate, specifically buying and flipping multifamily properties with his nephew. So, when he goes back to retirement, he is excited to focus more on his real estate.
While Porto’s time at Tenafly will be short-lived, the impact of his teaching will reach beyond the school year. Through collaboration and a willingness to learn alongside his students, Porto has reshaped the traditional AP English Language classroom.
