Exciting Young Minds
In her 4th-grade class, McIntyre’s love of learning is contagious
By Shannon Geis
Lauren McIntyre, 25, says she loves teaching 4th grade because students are just old enough to be independent, but young enough to still be excited by education.
“They are like sponges,” said McIntyre, who has been teaching at P.S. 166 for four years. “They are into everything and always want to learn more.” Read more
Nursery Schools 101
1. Why Nursery School, Anyway?
Because if you don’t get into a good nursery school it’s quite likely that your child will never get into Harvard. Ok, here’s really why: because the majority of nursery school directors create comforting, fun worlds where little people learn to socialize while following their creative and intellectual urges. It’s also a chance for parents to get some informed feedback about their child while joining a community of families in which both children and parents will have a stable circle of friends. Read more
A Tribute to Teachers
Everybody remembers a favorite teacher. Whether it was someone who pushed you harder, became your friend or simply cast life in a different light, educators stay with us long after the last day of school.
But for individuals who can have such an impact on our lives, teachers rarely get the recognition they deserve. That’s why Manhattan Media started the Blackboard Awards for Teachers. The idea is to salute those classroom leaders who not only nail the basics but go above and beyond the call of duty to help their students succeed. Read more
Love First, Teach Second
Carolyn Silberstein knows that curiosity thrives when students start to feel comfortable.
“They need to feel the classroom is their place,” she said. “Once we’ve done that, we’re golden and we can go on to learn.”
Silberstein, who has been teaching at Temple Emanu-El Nursery School for 20 years, begins every morning with hugs and kisses. And not just a few scattered hugs and kisses—“She kisses every child hello,” said Jill Bernstein, who was Silberstein’s assistant teacher for 14 years before moving to her own classroom across the hall. Read more
Cooking Up Young Learners
Most children don’t walk into their kindergarten classroom on Monday morning to the smell of freshly baked muffins.
But parent Princess Prince-McCoade describes dropping her daughter off at the Central Park East I pre-K/kindergarten classroom and finding steaming Ziploc bags wafting out the scent of freshly baked pumpkin or banana muffins. The baked goods are a snack for the ice-skating trip that Yvonne Smith’s class takes weekly in the winter. Read more
Support, No Matter What
For the past four years, Debra Robinson has gone to Birch Family Services Mill Basin Early Childhood Center to teach children who fall on the autism spectrum. But her dedication to helping these children and their families extends far beyond the classroom.
“We spoke on the phone almost every day,” said Michele Montanez, whose 6-year-old son Brandon was in Robinson’s class for two years.
Read more
From Filmmaker to 4th Grade
In Hollywood films, compassionate, inspiring teachers are easily found. Thomas Roberts, a 4th grade teacher at Trinity School, brings that enthusiasm to the real world.
“Learning is a joy in Mr. Roberts’ classroom,” said parent Bahar Tavakolian. He is everyone’s favorite teacher—be it a girl or a boy, an introverted student or an extroverted one…he teaches his students respect for others, kindness and how to be a great citizen of the classroom, the school and the world beyond. He’s an incredible teacher.” Read more
Shapiro’s Creative Curriculum
A longtime advocate of music in the classroom, P.S. 199’s Elaine Shapiro once took her class to a rehearsal for a piano concerto. After the performance, students spent time asking the soloist questions. When someone asked what the pianist’s outside interests were, she said she had a compound upstate where she harbored wolves. Shapiro’s interest was immediately piqued. Read more
The Science of Middle School
Although she is a middle school science teacher at The Cathedral School in Manhattan, Ourania “Roni” Rafaelidis often feels she is still a student.
“With science, there’s always something new going on—discoveries, new theories and explanations, real-life topics—that can be discussed in class. It never gets boring,” she said. “I enjoy keeping up with science developments by reading science magazines and books, and I like to share what I learn in the classroom.” Read more
A Builder of Math Skills
Not everyone can teach middle school math—and have students enjoy it. Luckily, Columbia Secondary School students have Dee Martin dishing out integers and making pie charts a little more palatable.
“She has influenced my son and his class and in a very powerful way,” said parent Alison Loeb. Read more
