Math teacher Seth Shore has taught at Conestoga for the past 26 years, but becoming a teacher was not his original career plan. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania in 1989 with Bachelors of Arts in Economics and French, Shore coached tennis and managed a local racquet club while earning his master’s degree in education at Widener University. He began teaching at The Haverford School until becoming a teacher at Conestoga in the fall of 1999. He currently teaches Algebra I and Advanced Placement (AP) Calculus and became the head coach of the girls’ varsity tennis team in 2023.
Q: How did you get into teaching initially?
A: When I graduated college, I was teaching tennis for a number of years. At the ripe age of 28, my entire body ached, so I figured I had to do something differently. I talked to some people and decided I enjoyed the teaching part of coaching, so the next thing to do was go into education.
Q: What is your favorite class to teach?
A: I like teaching AP Calculus AB. I like the challenge of the material, and it’s great to see students when they’re trying to solve a problem and their brains are really working.
Q: What is the best part about being a teacher?
A: Making connections with the students and seeing them get through something that’s challenging and difficult. Whenever they have something that poses a challenge for them, and you can see them work hard and fight through it, and then at the end, be successful. That’s the most rewarding thing to see.
Q: Do you prefer to play tennis or coach?
A: A couple of years ago, I had a problem with my back, so I haven’t played competitively because I’m afraid that I’m going to think I’m 20-something and can still do the things I could do in college. At this point, I enjoy coaching more because I’m just not playing as much as I used to.
Q: What does a perfect day for you look like?
A: Being with my wife on the beach somewhere warm, like the southwest coast of Florida. We could hang out, enjoy the warm weather and see dolphins and manatees.
Q: What location would you want to visit in the future?
A: I’ve never been to Hawaii, so I’d like to travel there. I think I’d like to go to Portugal. I visited Europe last spring, which was great. I don’t ski, so I wouldn’t want to go somewhere really cold. I like the warm weather.
Q: What’s a fun fact about you that your students might not know?
A: My first name is not Seth. I save it for my students to try and guess at the end of the year.
Isabelle Emmanuel can be reached at [email protected].
