The Philosophy of a New York Teacher

Philosophy of Teaching

Individualized education is a vital component of my approach to instruction as a special education teacher. Of course every child is different, but children in special education are in particularly dire need of an approach which suits their unique needs and perspective. I know that every child can learn, the question is how to present the material so they can maximize their full capacity, just like their peers, in the least restrictive environment possible.

I currently work at PS/IS 180 in the neighborhood of Borough Park Brooklyn. All of my students are in grades 7 and 8 English Language Arts. I attended the Wagner College Master's Degree program after a short professional baseball career with the NY Mets and Philadelphia Phillies minor league teams. I always enjoyed interacting with and working with young people and this led me to my second career in teaching. I started off as a coach and this eventually brought me to the classroom. Although the path from the minor leagues to special education may not seem obvious, it helped that I come from a family of teachers: my wife, mother and sister are all teachers in New York City.

My principal Gary Williams has been a great mentor. I am very lucky to be able to say that I could not have asked to begin my teaching career in a better, more supportive school environment that makes special education a priority. As a result of the administration's enthusiasm and guidance, I can see that the students genuinely love to come to school, just like the teachers. Working together with administrators and other professionals along with parents is an important part of every special educator's job. A coordinated approach is essential to ensure that the student's learning is supported in his or her other classes and at home. A good teacher must be flexible and open-minded about accepting outside help to improve the education of the child and also to add to his own professional credentials and skill set. I regularly work with other professionals to ensure that the child's IEP (individualized education program) has appropriate goals that can be reached and to ensure that it addresses the student's strengths and weaknesses. The individualized nature of the program supports student self-confidence because it sets them up for success with a learning approach that is tailored to their needs.

I work in the attendance office as the attendance coordinator. Attendance is an often forgotten component of student achievement: if students are not present in class, no matter how intelligently-planned the curriculum might be, they cannot learn. Students often face logistical and emotionally challenges to attendance and I work with students and parents to overcome perceived and real barriers to increase student motivation to attend school regularly. The sooner there is an intervention when a child's attendance or school performance begins to decline, the better. I also worked in the SETSS (Special Education Teacher Support Services) department with 8th grade students, providing one-on-one educational services.