Joe Cuddemi and I travelled in similar circles back in our college days although we didn’t know each other well. If you’re a regular listener to From Sparks to LIght, you’ll recognize some of the people and places he talks about. After graduation we both ended up in Montana as Jesuit Volunteers; Joe was a teacher on the Fort Belknap Reservation while I was in Great Falls and then in Ashland on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation. We saw each other at retreats and I remember at least one wonderful afternoon riding horses together, but it wasn’t until this conversation that I had the chance to learn about his journey, about a searching to find his spark, the thing that gave his life meaning and purpose.
Joe grew up in Boston (you might hear evidence of that in this interview) in a big Italian family surrounded by grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. Although his parents never went to college, His mother instilled in him the value of education, a lesson he took to heart. We talk about the experiences and people who helped guide him through more than 35 years of experience as a teacher, counselor, and principal. About staying humble and maintaining a learners mind. About the value of finding mentors and giving back to others what was given to you. Teaching, after all, is about paying it forward.
Since 2015, he has been a national educational consultant serving hundreds of districts and schools across the country. Joe delivers keynotes, facilitates workshops and coaches educators in the PLC at Work process, Transforming School Culture, RTI at Work, Priority Schools and Social Emotional Learning.
Joe earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Boston College, a master’s degree in the Art of Teaching Mathematics from Northern Arizona University and his principal licensure at Colorado State University. He lives in Thornton, Colorado with his wife Donna.
To learn more about Joe Cuddemi visit his page at Solution Tree.
To listen to Joe’s episode, click here.