General News
Mulgrew to new teachers: ‘You’re here to help children have a better life’
Sep 17, 2009 2:50 PM
UFT President Michael Mulgrew addresses the group of new teachers.
Mulgrew welcomes Leigh Belform of MS 318, the Bronx, to the profession.
Flanking Mulgrew are (from left) Maryann Coleman and Kaitlin Griffiths of PS 55 in Staten Island, Patti Adams of PS 370 in Brooklyn and teaching fellow Karina Warner.
Hundreds of new teachers prepared for the new school year by attending three days of orientation sessions sponsored by the Department of Education’s Office of Teacher Development in mid-August.
Starting with a video titled “My Favorite Teacher” and ending with a discussion on “Lesson Planning,” there was plenty of information sandwiched in between at the sessions at LaGuardia HS.
Rick Smith, author of “Conscious Classroom Management,” was a guest speaker as was Kate Thomsen, who spoke about “Resiliency and the Art of Reframing.”
Teachers also were educated by panels on topics including creating and maintaining an effective environment for student learning, engaging and supporting all students in learning, and assessing student learning.
There was also time for a serious discussion from a panel of teachers beginning their second or third year on the job who were brimming with advice for their newer colleagues.
Charissa Gigatti said the librarian is the most useful resource in the school.
Sara Spears said she spent her first few weeks asking questions of everyone as she learned how to navigate the system.
Heather Lawrence said she learned how to shift her thoughts from “me” to “we.” She said it was important to learn something from your kids, to be curious about their lives.
“If you let kids teach you something, you will be a hero,” she said.
The new teachers were addressed by UFT President Michael Mulgrew, who recalled how little support he received when he started out. “I got the bathroom key, a good luck greeting and ‘have a nice day,’” he said.
Mulgrew said “most people don’t comprehend the difficulty of your job” and neither did he until the end of his first week when he went home on Friday at 3 p.m., fell face down on the couch and woke up Saturday.
Mulgrew recounted the story of how he went from being a worker in the construction trades to being an English and special education teacher at Grady HS in Brooklyn. When he got to the school, he said, administrators assumed that he would teach woodworking, but he insisted on teaching at-risk kids.
Of the impulse that draws people to teaching, Mulgrew said: “In your souls, you are trying to help children have a better life, and that is the reason you are here today.”
Among the new teachers in the audience was Ed Fernbach, a former lawyer and consultant who said he had “no fear whatsoever” about his first day. He said his confidence stemmed from his experience as head coach of a Special Olympics team 15 years ago. He talked about his favorite teacher at Francis Lewis HS, Joe Rittino, who taught him that the ability to communicate is the path to conflict resolution.
Feng Li, a graduate of Grover Cleveland HS, also remembered her favorite teacher, Mary Accardi, who helped her with her English skills. “I didn’t know one word of English when I arrived here from China,” she said. “Ms. Accardi inspired me to become a teacher. She made me want to teach.”
Due to the hiring freeze, the new hires can only fill vacancies in new schools and in bilingual special education, special education except Districts 19 and 23, District 75 schools and science.
