Mr. Tyler Volpe has been working at Somerville High School since 2019. A teacher of Algebra II Honors and CP Calculus, Mr. Volpe has quickly established himself as a pillar of the Somerville community. But while students find his higher level math courses and sense of humor alluring, little seems to be known about Mr. Volpe’s other interests. In this day in the life, Mr. Volpe discusses his school routine and other pastimes, revealing favorite bands, exciting hobbies, and career changes in the process. 

Mr. Volpe likes to start his day as soon as possible. 

“I’m up pretty early,” he explains. “I work out at home starting at around 5, then I arrive at school at about 6:30.” 

He prefers to arrive at the school early in the morning instead of leaving late, getting much of his work done before school begins. 

This extended day is highly influenced by the large amount of activities he leads across SHS. Mr. Volpe is responsible for leading the junior and senior class officers and has acted as the interim advisor for the National Honor Society for the better part of this school year.  

While Mr. Volpe says that this workload can be challenging, he isn’t looking to slow down.

All of this considered, it came as a shock to learn that teaching was not always the line of work Mr. Volpe had thought to pursue. In fact, Mr. Volpe’s life could have looked drastically different than it does today. 

“I actually went to school for engineering when I first started,” Mr. Volpe admitted. “I spent a year in the school of engineering at Rutgers, planning on studying bioengineering.”

But after spending a summer working in a lab, fully immersing himself in the bioengineering field for the first time, Mr. Volpe decided that this path was not for him. “I just wasn’t super passionate about it,” he explained.

He had had positive experiences with tutoring in the past, and after taking a few higher-level math courses and deepening his understanding of the subject, he decided to become a teacher, switching his focus to math education. 

Now he loves being a teacher, citing the interaction with students as his favorite part of the job. 

Though, there is one part of teaching that irks him: “I just write so many emails,” he says. 

The work doesn’t stop once he leaves SHS, though. About two afternoons a week, Mr. Volpe travels to Rutgers in New Brunswick to provide Calculus 1 and Pre-Calculus lectures to university students. This work continues into the warmer months, when he teaches both university classes and summer courses at the high school.

Once work is finally over, Mr. Volpe gets to see his daughter, which is his favorite part of the day. 

After he comes home, the family might go for a walk, or spend time playing around together. After that, Mr. Volpe cooks dinner for his wife and daughter, usually a burrito bowl. 

At around 7 PM, he puts his daughter to bed, just after reading her a book. Their favorite is Doreen Cornin’s Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type. 

Then, after diligently watching their daughter on the baby monitor for about an hour, Mr. Volpe and his wife relax. “We usually play a board game or watch the Yankees,” he says. (No, he is unfortunately not related to the team’s shortstop Anthony Volpe).

Though his days are jam-packed with constant activity, Mr. Volpe finds time to relax by throwing himself into many different hobbies. In his free time he serves as the captain of his church’s softball team, which he plays on with his brother-in-law and fellow SHS teacher Mr. Panza. He also plays disk golf and guitar. 

Hardworking and family-oriented, Mr. Volpe’s life extends far beyond the classroom. Working two jobs while maintaining a healthy work-life balance is certainly no easy feat, yet Mr. Volpe remains focused and passionate about what he does. Mr. Volpe’s daily routine is a true signifier of his strong work ethic, and a testament to his great tenacity. 

FAST FACTS ABOUT MR. VOLPE:

Favorite musical artists: Tame Impala, Twenty One Pilots (he knows them down to their obscure Youtube beginnings), and Half Alive

Favorite lunch: A peanut butter and jelly sandwich and an apple

Goals: Get a second masters in Mathematics, when he finds the time