PITTSBURGH, PA (PTTP) – Pitt Alumni, Dr. Tim Wagner, talks highly about his time here at Pitt. He thinks of it as “a very positive experience.” He learned a lot in his masters and doctorate where he says “it was a wonderful blend of research and scholarly kinds of things and application of that learning.” He mentions that Pitt has prepared him for his future in many ways including internship experiences that paired him with mentors that he still keeps in touch with and values highly today.
Now a principal at Upper Saint Clair High School, Dr. Wagner says that his want to be an educator dates way back to when he was a child, “whether it was playing school with neighborhood friends or just loving going to school myself I knew I wanted to spend my professional life even as a seven-year-old I knew that was meant to be in a school.” After eight years of teaching, he knew we wanted to take what he had learned and expand it past just the students he teaches.
Dr. Wagner was named PA Principal of the Year in 2023 by the Pennsylvania Principals Association. He talks about going to school every day as something he feels “called to do and just loves doing” but with receiving this award he says “It certainly is humbling, a surprise and it is a great honor and privilege.” He talks highly about the hard work of the students and the success of the school and says that he is “very grateful to be a part of that.”
He talks about his goals every day not just being focused on learning the subjects, but also focusing on the development of these students. He talks about physical, social, emotional, and cognitive development and how that is also so important as the students are being taught. In addition to this, the health, mental and physical, and safety of students is something that he values highly. He states, “When parents allow us to spend that much time with their children, health and mental health and safety have to be priorities for all of us.”
To find out more about Dr. Wagner and the other Pitt alum who have won other educational awards, check out https://www.pitt.edu/pittwire/pittmagazine/features-articles/alumni-teachers-reshaping-education#wagner
Credit: Tina Vojtko