A conversation with David Moretti
David Moretti graduated from The Catholic University of America with a Bachelor’s Degree in English and a minor in Irish Studies. While at Catholic, David was passionate about cultivating a positive writing culture on campus. He served as a Writing Center tutor, editor-in-chief of Vermilion, a copy editor for Inventio, and president of the English Society. David is now a teaching fellow with Notre Dame’s Alliance for Catholic Education program, and he is blessed to serve his twelfth-grade students in Modesto, CA.
What is your current job/title?
I am currently an English teacher at Central Catholic High School in Modesto, CA. I teach primarily twelfth-graders and one section of freshman English.
Why did you choose to study English at Catholic U.?
When I got to Catholic U as a freshman, I was committed to studying politics. It was not until I took Dr. Mack’s class on Epic poetry that I knew I had to be an English major. I remember his class being so challenging. In fact, there are probably still some dried tears in my copy of The Iliad. Being held to that high standard made me appreciate the work we were doing more, and allowed me to see the beauty of literature manifest everywhere in the world.
What was your path from graduation to your current job like? What advice can you give senior majors and recent grads about life after graduation?
In my senior year, I frantically applied to graduate programs in English and education. I remember getting my first graduate school acceptance letter in my senior seminar.I would advise against frantic action, and tell students to let things come from opportunities you have created for yourself. Casting a wide net of opportunities sent me across the country to do something that I did not anticipate doing immediately after graduation–teaching. I cannot imagine doing anything else now.
How has your English background served you professionally?
Since Catholic U’s English department focuses on literary history and aesthetics–literature as literature, if you will–I have developed a wide range of literary knowledge. As an ELA teacher who teaches multiple classes, genres, and topics, having experience with a lot of the literary canon has widened my knowledge of what I can teach my students. Although I am notorious for supplementing my AP Literature and Composition class with Seamus Heaney and Philip Larkin.
What do you like the most about your job?
It has to be the community. Yes, the content is great, but beauty is best witnessed when people appreciate their community members. Central Catholic High School’s focus on building positive relationships with students provides me with the wonderful opportunity to see my students light up when they have “aha-moments,” and it allows me to have great back-and-forths in class discussions.
What does a typical day at work look like for you?
I usually get to work at 6:30, and I take time to write or read by myself. My first class begins at 8:05, and it’s always great to wake up with the freshmen. They bring such joy and wonder to the classroom, and we have so many laughs together. I teach the seniors throughout the rest of the day, and the growth they have shown as students and as human beings makes me so proud of them. I know that they will all share themselves with the world soon, and I am excited to see them continue to grow. Throughout all of this, there are about 10 cups of coffee, a lot of sighing, and not enough grading, but I would not want it any other way.
What did you learn as an English major at Catholic U. that has stayed with you?
You have to be open and responsive to feedback! The best things about being an English major at Catholic U are tea and relationships with faculty. These go hand-in-hand! For the first bit of my time as a major, I feared feedback because it meant hearing that I was doing something wrong. However, once I formed relationships with my professors, I realized that they wanted me to succeed. They would not be hurtful, or dismissive, or intolerant. They would be generous. They were generous. Through the generosity of the faculty, I grew more than I would have thought, and I got to talk about the eighth wonder of the world, Cranston, RI, with Dr. Baker on several occasions.
Do you have any advice for current English majors?
Go to events. I always felt a little nervous about going to things that my non-English major friends would not go to. I believe that even those who share that fear should leave their comfort zone. Go to the poetry reading. Go to the English Society tea that one other person is at. Go to someone’s office hours. Heck, host your own office hours! You may go to these events by yourself, but you’ll leave having participated in a vibrant community.
