Lake Riviera Middle School
Brick, New Jersey
I teach 7th grade Language Arts and Science in New Jersey.
I have enjoyed teaching since 1994. Education was a change of career choice. Prior to teaching, I was in retail management. I decided to go back to school and get my degrees in education and communication.
My future goals in education are to continue working as a middle school teacher. I am quite content in the environment. The only foreseeable change that I can visualize is possibly doing some adjunct teaching at my local community college in order to "stretch my teaching abilities" in order to continually challenge myself. I purposely obtained my Master's Degree in Education, because that is what I see myself as - a teacher. I have no desire to ever become an administrator, councilor or subject supervisor. I believe that they are all wonderful opportunities as careers are concerned, but I would miss teaching the children.
Who was your favorite teacher? Why?
My favorite teacher was Mr. Terranova, a 6th Grade teacher at John F. Kennedy Elementary School in North Bergen, NJ. He was an energetic and creative educator who zeroed in on each student's individual talents. It was a high energy classroom that was filled with new and interesting ideas each and every day he taught. Quite simply, Mr. Terranova truly cared about his students and he loved teaching.
What are three things every teacher should own?
First and foremost, a computer is a necessity. Having the ability to create documents and retrieve information via the Internet is a vital lifeline for any educator to stay connected with the world, parents and students.
Teachers should also own a great personal library of books and supplemental reading material. In order for teachers to constantly sharpen their own minds and keep connected to a level of knowledge that behooves themselves and the children with whom they come in contact. Teachers should own a vast variety of classic literature and read from their selection frequently.
Though not a material item, all teachers should "own" great patience as an attribute. There is an eclectic variety of students with a plethora of needs sitting in every classroom. For some, school may be their safe haven. All educators should have compassion and remain diligent for possessing a positive demeanor.
If you could have any person (living, dead or fictional) as a principal, who would it be?
Though possibly a rare find to have a teacher say this, I enjoy having my principal as the leader of my school. She is proactive, supportive and energetic. The best interests of the children and faculty are her utmost concern.
Yet, if I were pressed to choose any individual(s) from history or a fictional background there are a few choices from which to pick. Anne Sullivan for her caring and concerned manner. Ronald Reagan for unprecedented leadership and humor. Mother Teresa for her unwavering compassion. The last person would be George Bailey (James Stewart's character) from "It's A Wonderful Life" due to his consistent, selfless fighting for the underdog. Wouldn't it be interesting to see them all work together?
What profession other than your own would you most like to attempt?
I believe that psychology would most interest me as an alternate career choice. I enjoy helping other people learning how to solve their own problems. That is a huge component of a healing or growing process. Many people either need guidance or an open ear to solve their personal issues. As an educator, there is a great amount of psychology required in order to deal with a great variety of personality types.
Describe your all-time favorite lesson/unit activity.
There is not really a particular or specific lesson/activity that I enjoy more than any other. I believe that each lesson or unit activity has a great life of its own and should be relished for the unique opportunity it may present. I truly strive to make each lesson different from another. I desire to have children experience a large collection of personalized educational moments throughout the academic year. In this way, the totality of the year's experiences will be remembered more than an individual lesson.
What is the greatest misconception about teachers?
The teacher's workday ending at 2:30 in the afternoon is by far the most laughable and most pathetic lie about educators. Most nights, I am still doing "teacher-related" duties until 8:00pm or so. I have never had a 40 hour workweek while teaching. This type of misconception adds to the fuel of the larger lie of how teachers get so much time off during the summer and holidays. So much planning, grading, mentoring and other "duties" are part of a teacher's life that it could never be humanly possible to be an affective teacher and still get everything accomplished by the time the students leave at the end of the school day.
What stereotype about teachers is true?
For most teachers, I believe that they all feel they are going to change the world for a grander purpose than may be seen. Teachers have an innate gift to share of their knowledge and talents with the absorbent sponges that sit in their classrooms. I think that educators, by far, truly believe that they are changing the world. Low and behold, they do!
How did you know you wanted to be a teacher?
I feel as though teaching found me. My wife and I were asked to assist our local parish with CCD instruction by our pastor. We decided that it was a good way to give back to the community. We began teaching on Wednesday nights. After a few short weeks, I felt more energy teaching those children than I had ever felt before as an executive with a large retail chain. After six months of teaching religious instruction, I made the choice to return to school full time, commute, continue working and became a teacher. It is amusing to me that it was through a religious setting that I found "my calling" to teach. This is why I believe that teaching is a very unique vocation.
