Feeling nostalgic and reminiscing about the crazy stuff you did as a kid is something that almost everyone has experienced at some point. Seeing an old store you used to shop at or smelling something that reminds you of your childhood just sends all those memories rushing back. Talking about this or even experiencing those things again will can made you feel as if you are a kid again.
One of our very own Saint Cloud High teachers experienced a similar case. Coach Thomas Billiteri is the Digital Information Technology teacher and a volleyball and basketball coach. Not only is he a very important part of our Bulldog family for being both a teacher and coach, but he also happens to be a Saint Cloud High alumni, graduating in 2015. He never thought that he would be teaching at here only a few years later.
"Working at SCHS was definitely a little weird at first, considering the last time I was on this campus was as a student during my senior year of high school,” said Coach Billiteri. Looking back, he never realized that teaching was his passion until his last few years of college.
But being a student from Saint Cloud High must bring back some memories, thinking back to when you were a kid and missing all the fun things you did, wishing you could go back, for example. Everyone has at least one thing they wish they could do again. "The biggest thing I miss from high school was competing as a high school athlete. I would love to go back to playing high school basketball and volleyball. You really miss it when it's over.” added Coach Billiteri. This is likely why he decided to be a coach. It’s like being an athlete all over again.
Of course, thinking about the things you did when you were in high school makes you wonder, “What changed?” Not only does growing up itself have a large impact on that, but the world is becoming more technologically advanced as time goes on. Everywhere you look, there are kids on some sort of device. Whether it is a tablet or a phone, but kids are always glued to them. "Kids growing up today spend so much time watching YouTube, scrolling through social media, and playing video games. Don’t get me wrong, that was still happening when I was younger, just not quite as much.” said Coach Billiteri.
As more things change over time, sometimes we wish it would stay the same. When things constantly change around us, we sometimes do not realize how much we appreciate things. We sometimes wish we can go back in time to change things that we did. Coach Billiteri had the same reflection: “If I could change one thing looking back at my time as a kid in school it would be my mindset. Growing up you always hear people tell you to enjoy it because it goes so fast. That didn’t really click in my head until I was out of school and in the real world as an adult." Of course, being an adult means more responsibility. You don’t realize how quickly your childhood speeds past you. So enjoy it while it lasts...
