Outstanding Teachers of the Month - February
2005
Pat Wallace
Principal: Bridget Carrington
Superintendent’s Name: Bernard Gassaway
Name of School: Bedford Stuyvesant Preparatory High School
School District/Region: Dist 79/Region 8
Student Progress: The students of Pat Wallace have shown progress in their
work by passing the Math A regents. The success rate in her class is approximately
50-70%. Ms. Wallace offers her time during lunch and PM School, an after school
program offered at Bedford Stuyvesant Preparatory High School. She works with
the students one on one and devotes her time to creating ways to teach all
learners. Many of her students enter her class with poor math skills and are
able to pass the Math A Regents by utilizing the various skills presented by
Ms. Wallace. The portfolios show an increase of test scores and student achievement.
The students are able to work collaboratively to solve problems and present
strategies suggested by Ms. Wallace in order to provide an appropriate solution.
The use of math manipulatives encourages the students to participate in classroom
activities, thereby promoting high test scores.
Innovative
Teaching Strategies: The use of innovative teaching strategies is very impressive
in Ms. Wallace’s math class.
The integration of technology has allowed her to increase student
achievement and encourage collaborative learning. The use of
the plastiograph, algebra tiles, balance beams and many other
manipulatives promotes academic achievement. Students enjoy
Ms. Wallace’s math class and are able to comfortably
enjoy math. They are provided with an experience of a non-threatening
math environment. The mini-projects that are done in her math
class are creative and provide success for all types of learners.
The students are always motivated and feel that the dedication
exhibited by Ms. Wallace allows them to study math without
any fear.
Motivating
Students: The motivation
that Ms. Wallace provides for her students allows for continuous
academic achievement. The methodologies and heuristics used
as suggested solutions allow the students to freely express
themselves mathematically. The in-house contest of the math
department has allowed students to “showoff” their
math skills and easily express themselves using mathematical
terms. Currently, Bedford Stuyvesant Preparatory High School
would like to consider implementing an in-house math team
that would later prepare students for outside competition.
Having the encouragement of Ms. Wallace, students will definitely
present projects and create a competitiveness that would
successfully prepare them for the outside world of mathematical
competition.
Parent/Community
Involvement: Ms. Wallace uses an open door
policy for parents and teachers of other schools. She encourages
the parents to visit her classroom and involve themselves in
the mathematical strategies suggested in the classroom. There
is a community involvement by encouraging students to tutor
the students of a neighboring elementary school. This promotes
student achievement and opens doors of opportunities for many
students. Some students began to consider studying elementary
or secondary education.
Beverley Gammon-Hill
Principal: Bridget Carrington
Superintendent’s Name: Bernard Gassaway
Name of School: Bedford Stuyvesant Preparatory High School
School District/Region: Dist. 79/Region 8
Student Progress: Her students have shown progress in their
work by presenting projects of intense academic study, with
the encouragement and dedication of Ms. Gammon. Many of the
students enter her class with poor reading, writing and studying
skills. Ms. Gammon’s methodology of teaching allows the
students to explore the inner abilities and create a quality
of work that makes one proud. The students’ portfolios
demonstrate the dedication and hard work of a high school student
and show the progress of each student. There has been a 5-10%
increase of the ELA passing rate each year in Ms. Gammon’s
English class. Many students are encouraged to study during
lunchtime, after school and Saturday School. Students appreciate
Ms. Gammon’s dedication and show a steady increase of
academic success.
Innovative
Teaching Strategies: Ms. Gammon uses innovative
strategies to teaching. She uses a newsletter format to express
the ideas and reading skills of a specific literary device.
She integrates technology to enhance learning. Life-like butcher-block
paper dolls are used to teach character analysis. These are
just a few of the many innovative teaching strategies that
are introduced in her class. An increasing success rate of
the ELA attributes to the many innovative teaching strategies.
Motivating
Students: The students
are motivated in her classroom through collaborative learning.
Many of her projects utilize group activity, which has increase
student interest and creates an environment that the students
find non-threatening. They are able to express themselves
freely and provide creative writings that would spark the
mind of any literature professor. Ms. Gammon’s students
have entered writing and poetry contest. Some of her students
were winners as well as acknowledged as great writers.
Parent/Community
Involvement: There has always been a concern
for parent involvement whereby Ms. Gammon always welcomes parents
and teachers to visit her class. There has been community involvement
by encouraging the students to tutor students of a neighboring
elementary school. Many of the students are apart of the College
Now program at Medgar Evans College. Ms. Gammon offered her
time to help students prepare their essays needed for entrance
into the program.
Marisol Rivera
Principal: Mrs. Jeanette Sosa
Superintendent’s Name: Mr. Reyes Irizarry
Name of School: P.S. 151K
School District/Region: District 32/ Region 4
Student Progress: Mrs. Marisol Rivera is a veteran teacher
with a beautiful smile, who consistently makes each term fresh
and exciting for her students. Ms. Rivera has taught first
grade for her entire career. Her students always demonstrate
a great deal of success and progress. The standardized assessments
in the ECLAS and Voyager programs consistently demonstrate
the successful teaching strategies of Ms. Rivera. Using the
components of the Readers’ Workshop, this teacher compiles
for each child a writing folder that demonstrates to anyone
who reads it, the progress made during the school year. Children
begin able to write only words, quickly move on to sentences,
and eventually are able to write a cohesive paragraph. Quite
a remarkable achievement for little first graders! Students
are proud to announce to visitors that they have advanced to
another level of “just right” books. Ms. Rivera’s
room is print rich with a wide variety of charts and tables
that are the outgrowth of her many exciting lessons in the
content areas that make up first grade.
Innovative
Teaching Strategies: Ms. Marisol Rivera has made her room into a model classroom.
Our visitors are most impressed! She is renowned for the
learning environment that she has created. Her classroom
is a beautiful mixture of what is required along with what
is pleasing to a child’s eye. All this, and
the room never looks cluttered or overwhelming. A visitor to
Ms. Rivera’s room can expect to see groups of students
working in small clusters. These first graders can be found
doing research, using the internet, reading, finding correlating
pictures and focusing on the latest non-fiction topic that
the class is working on at that moment. Some children are fortunate
to have internet access at home, but this is not a necessity,
as Ms. Rivera makes sure that every student receives a turn
to “surf the net” in class. Ms. Rivera is proud
to say that the students choose their own topic, find appropriate
books and publish the final product. Ms. Rivera loves to choose
a special topic for a month’s focus. This topic receives
a wide variety of attention through a myriad of curriculum
areas—language arts, math, science, and social studies.
Students revel in a culminating celebration, involving measuring
and cooking, music, art and literature.
Motivating
Students: Ms. Rivera
uses a wide variety of incentives to encourage her students
to always do their best. They are rewarded for their diligent
work with free time on the computer, reading a book that
is simultaneously read to them at the listening center, working
on an art project that will become part of a seasonal bulletin
board, along with incentives, treats, and presents that certainly
motivate her students. Ms. Rivera’s
students are eventually intrinsically motivated, but enjoy
the many incentives that she provides to bring them to that
level.
Parent/Community
Involvement: Our
school is fortunate to participate in the Learning Leaders
program, where parents are recruited, screened and trained
before being matched with a teacher who then receives their
assistance. Ms. Rivera is a pioneer in this program and has
had the same parent volunteer for several years. They are
a perfect match! Ms. Rivera maintains an open classroom.
Parents are always invited to observe any lesson, but primarily
encouraged to sit in on a reading lesson. If a child is experiencing
a learning problem, the parent is invited to visit the classroom,
sit with the child, observe the lesson and ultimately, help
the child by reinforcing the lesson that the parent has observed.
Parents are always welcome in Ms. Rivera’s class, but especially invited to help out at
times of parties or celebrations. Ms. Rivera’s welcoming
smile always puts the parent at ease and makes him or her feel
most welcome.
Durojaye Akindutire
Principal: Bridget Carrington
Superintendent’s Name: Bernard Gassaway
Name of School: Bedford Stuyvesant Preparatory HS
School District/Region: District 79, Region 8
Student Progress: The students in the class of Mr. Akindutire,
AKA Mr. Duro, continuously show progress. The students are
challenged by the projects given within the class work. Mr.
Duro has shown noted achievement on the Living Environment
Regents Exam. Many students have successfully passed the regents
because of Mr. Duro’s dedication and diligent work. He
teaches a Saturday science course which prepares the students
for the NYC Regents Examination. His teaching style and strategies
promote student achievement and interest. The student portfolios
exhibit the many projects designed by Mr. Duro and the difficulty
level of the projects increase each time a project is implemented.
The portfolios show a “true picture” of academic
growth.
Innovative
Teaching Strategies: Mr. Duro uses many innovative
teaching strategies. The use of the Smartboard allows for interactive
technology and promotes student interest and provides academic
growth. Many of his classes are project based and require collaborative
learning. The students freely interact effectively and are
able to produce projects that require a great deal of intense
study. The rapport he has with the students allows him to teach
effectively and implement innovative teaching strategies without
any difficulty. The students are able to freely use the scientific
language needed to explain the projects.
Motivating
Students: Mr. Duro’s classroom management
skills are superb. He is able to successfully implement new
and innovative ideas without difficulty, thereby producing
quality scientific work. Mr. Duro is the “key” person
in the school when questions have to be answered relating to
the Smartboard. This technology is an excellent motivational
tool for the students and Mr. Duro implements the interactive
technological strategy of the Smartboard daily.
Parent/Community
Involvement: The open door policy that Mr.
Duro has allows the parents to view the lessons and experience
the Smartboard and other technology used in his classroom.
The students of Bedford Stuyvesant Preparatory are in the process
of partnering with a neighborhood elementary school, whereby
the high school students will be tutoring younger students
in science.
Olga Rosa
Principal: Mrs. Jeanette Sosa
Superintendent’s Name: Reyes Irizarry
Name of School: PS 151K
School District/Region: District 32, Region 4
Student Progress: Ms. Olga Rosa has been teaching at P.S. 151K
since 1983, currently grades 1, 3 and 5. Ms. Rosa loves the
challenge that a class with wide ranges of abilities brings
to her. She is a gifted teacher who finds her chosen career
challenging and exciting. Her current class is now displaying
encouraging scores in the preliminary standardized tests given
to the 5th grade. They arrived in September as struggling writers,
and the latest Princeton Review assessment shows that they
are all performing at remarkable levels. Their scores in math
demonstrate comparable growth. Ms. Rosa especially enjoys the
teaching of math. She carefully records a portfolio of achievement
for each of the students. Students are very comfortable in
Ms. Rosa’s class. She teaches her own class in our after-school
program. When necessary, she has the ability to translate into Spanish
and speaks most comfortably with the parents.
Innovative
Teaching Strategies: Ms. Rosa is truly a unique teacher. She loves plants and
her room exemplifies that green thumb. Her students read
about these unusual specimens, learn to care for the plants,
develop responsibility and teamwork, all along with enjoying
their lovely environment. Another unusual unit of study in
her class is incubating chicks, ducks and quails. Following
the 4H model as taught by the NYS Cooperative Extension,
students learn to turn the eggs, observe the hatching process,
feed and care for the hatchlings, and finally return them
to the vendor as required by law. During the time that the
chicks are in our building, Ms. Rosa most graciously allows
the lower grade students to visit her room to observe this
remarkable occurrence. Her proud students tell about their
work and answer the many questions that the little ones pose.
Ms. Rosa is a whiz at technology. She incorporates this talent
in daily lessons and her bulletin boards exemplify that interest.
Accomplished students help others and this peer tutoring brings
the strugglers along. This talented teacher is also a very
gifted dancer and choreographer. Besides putting on plays and
participating in our Annual Dance Festival, she has brought
her considerable talent to a District 32 dance troupe, traveling
with the students to dance in Manhattan, (the students even
met and were photographed with personality Henny Youngman)
and NYC high schools, later culminating in so impressing the
Turkish Consulate, that a troupe of District 32 dancers went
on an all-expense trip to perform in Turkey. Ms. Rosa uses
her talents to motivate the students. She coaches them in running
and accompanies them on Saturday to compete and win at the
Colgate Women’s games.
Motivating
Students: Ms. Rosa runs
a very busy room. She is very comfortable in delegating authority
and responsibilities. The most capable students assist less
able ones in the ever-increasing use of technology. This
year, there are several accomplished typists who are a great
asset to the class. Other jobs students vie for are the filing
paperwork in student portfolios, caretaker of the magnificent
plant collection, curator of the fish tank, class librarian,
and others. Ms. Rosa’s students love
their teacher, take pride in their room and have a great sense
of accomplishment in the work they do.
Parent/Community
Involvement: Ms. Rosa is a perennial favorite
with our parent community. In 1989, she was the recipient of
the Angela Zirpiades Award presented by the Office of Health,
Physical Education and School Sports. Then, in 1993, she was singled out as Puerto Rican Educator
of the Year. Parents are cordially invited and most welcome
to accompany their children on the educational trips that she
plans, participate in their child’s 5th grade trip as
well as participate in the “senior activities” that
parents and 5th grade students eagerly anticipate each year.
Ms. Rosa is a community resident, and the parents appreciate
her gifts of care, concern and time that she selflessly gives
to her students.
Malcolm McDowell
Principal: Mrs. Eva Garcia
Superintendent’s Name: Ms Laura Rodriquez
Name of School: PS 75X
School District/Region: District 8/Region 2
Student Progress: Mr. McDowell is a positive and dynamic force
within our school community. His ability to program his students
for mastery in all facets of the curricula is well known. The
measurable progress of his students is well documented, worthy
of much praise and emulation. Mr. McDowell’s tireless
work extends beyond the perimeters of the classroom. His dedication
to students’ growth and development is incalculable.
His weekly writing class projects include: writing reports
from inside a Japanese Internment Camp, crafting and forwarding
one thousand origami cranes to Hiroshima, Japan as a symbol
of peace, and requiring students to form a cooperative airplane
factory on paper. The students also designed and tested its
assembly line. His most recent project will require the students
to conduct in depth research into the history of the Bronx.
Innovative
Teaching Strategies: In addition to the aforementioned projects, the letters crafted
by McDowell’s students,
to Members of the New York State Assembly resulted in the students’ acquisition
of a significant number of free tickets to Yankee Games and
games at Madison Square Garden. This personifies their “power
of the pen.” Mr. McDowell’s young student authors
and writers have been published in numerous periodicals which
include: The African Burial Ground Project, The New York Teachers’ Council
of English, The Environmental Projection Agency and The Anthology
of Poetry Contest. His students are now gifted with a “voice.”
Motivating Students: Johanna
Heureaux, one of McDowell’s former students, has just
returned from a six-week study-tour of South Africa, which
McDowell helped to arrange. Presently, Johanna Heureaux attends
a private high school. She ranks third in her class and participates
in all of the extra curricula activities. While attending P.S.75X,
Johanna, like many of Mr. McDowell’s students, displayed
remarkable ability in the game of chess. In addition to the
training by “Chess in the Schools,” McDowell added
aspects of the game to his curriculum. McDowell’s students
are still outdistancing many students as they work to secure
a brilliant future. Surely, these skills have transferred over
to the Game of 24. The students’ placement in the Game
24, a district wide math competition was masterful.
Parent/Community
Involvement: Mr.
McDowell is active in many of the Parent Teacher initiatives.
As a recently appointed member of the Team Leadership Committee,
Mc Dowell’s
active involvement with all school personnel and parents has
increased. Mary McLeod Bethune, a renowned educator and advisor
to President Roosevelt once said, “Invest in a human
soul, it may be a diamond in the rough.” Malcolm McDowell
meets this challenge each day in the classroom. I wish him
the best as he continues an advanced Education Degree at Teachers
College, Columbia University.#
