Teaching is one of the most challenging professions a person can take on. Dealing with challenging students, teaching tough content, and working with kids are just a few of the challenges teachers face every day.
Teaching is a calling that few answer, and even fewer do it to a high standard. Norwin math teacher and basketball coach Joseph Oestreich is one of those teachers. Throughout his year-long career, Mr. Oestreich has taught countless students in many different types of math and, along with that, has coached one of Norwin’s most dominant sports teams in women’s basketball. Mr. O will be retiring at the end of the 2025-2026 school year; at the same time, his daughter, senior Alex Oestreich, will be graduating from the high school.
Before his years at Norwin, Mr. Oestreich didn’t always want to be a teacher, but that inspiration came from his father. From a young age, his father instilled in him a love of math. That love of math didn’t always come naturally, with his dad making him do math problems before he could go outside to play when he was a kid. Regardless, something stuck with Mr. O in that he wanted to teach.
“My father was a math teacher, and when I had to change my major, it seemed like the obvious choice,” Mr. Oestreich said. “I loved math, and I already had insight into the job.”
Mr. Oestreich has worked at Norwin for the majority of his career, but this was not his first job. His first teaching job was not in the Pittsburgh area at all, but rather sunny Savanah, Georgia. Despite his love of the town, and thankfully for Norwin, he decided to come back to Pittsburgh to continue teaching.
In the grand scheme of things, location doesn’t matter; rather, the lasting impact that Mr. O has left on all of the students he has taught. Whether a student finally understood a small math concept or just really loved his class, a positive impact was made.
“What really sticks with me throughout my career is when I meet former students, and they express their appreciation for what I shared with them when they were in high school,” Mr. Oestreich said. “I love to see all the super successful people and to know that I was a small part of their journey.”
With retirement as the end goal for many people, it still remains somewhat bittersweet. Having to say goodbye to many close friends on the staff, losing a routine that has become almost second nature, and taking a step back out of many students’ lives.
“I will miss the routine; I will miss the people,” Mr Oestreich said. “I will miss seeing the light go on when a student gets it.”
Retirement is just like flipping the page to a new chapter. Mr. O is done with his teaching journey, but has many more horizons opening up for him. Whether that be working on his own projects at home, or just going fishing whenever he pleases. As Mr. Oestreich turns this page, we should all be there to congratulate and thank him for enriching our journey, and letting us be apart of his.
