Teacher of the Month: John Esposito

John Esposito earned his undergraduate degree in business administration with a concentration in accounting and a minor in history. He holds a Certificate of Advanced Study in education from St. Thomas Aquinas College. The first part of John's career was in accounting and taxation in the public, private, and government sectors. He began teaching and coaching football and lacrosse 18 years ago and has enjoyed spending his time educating and coaching today's youth.

John taught US history for many years and business for the last four. He is currently an educator at Don Bosco Prep, which is located in northern Bergen County New Jersey. Four years ago, he started a business department. Don Bosco Prep currently offers Introduction to Business, Accounting, Marketing, Business Law, Entrepreneurship, and Economics. They also have a robust DECA program and a National Business Honor Society chapter.

John teaches accounting, marketing, and entrepreneurship courses.  He believes the courses should be hands-on, authentic and full of real-world experiences. The interest and enthusiasm for business have grown exponentially in the school since this pathway began. 

We asked John a few questions. His answers are below.

WHAT STUKENT COURSEWARE HAVE YOU USED?

I have used the Marketing Strategies digital textbook and the Mimic Social simulation in my Principles of Marketing class. The students love to compete, so the Mimic Social simulation is perfect for them.

WHAT TEACHING TIPS WOULD YOU SHARE WITH OTHER TEACHERS?

My students create social media marketing plans for local small businesses and present them to the owners of those businesses. This has created relationships and in some cases internships with the local small businesses in our community.

I have second-semester seniors in the course and they are engaged, having fun, and learning and all I had to do was present it to them, provide some occasional guidance, and watch them work. I have also had a few seniors decide to change their college major to marketing because of their exposure to the field in this class. 

Our capstone course is the entrepreneurship class that we call the L.E.O. Program (Leadership, Entrepreneurship, and Opportunity). The students in the L.E.O. program take Accounting and Marketing before they take the entrepreneurship class, and I believe it sets them up for success. Stukent is a big part of that, the students are engaged, and both enjoy and learn from the simulation, it's invaluable. 

WHAT ARE YOUR HOBBIES AND TALENTS?

I enjoy Civil War history and have traveled to many historical sites. I also study Black American history and enjoy passing that information on to my students. 

Thank you, John, and congratulations!

If you'd like to nominate someone for Teacher of the Month, fill out our nomination form