"Hello all:

I have been teaching for over 35 years in the New York City public high school system, and have enjoyed my profession throughout the years. My approach to education utilizes a cooperative approach, integrated with love, humor and patience. The cooperative approach utilizes the following concepts:

1. Peer mediation, whenever possible utilizing the student's peer group to intervene and resolve current issues.

2. Peer tutoring, again utilizing ones peer group alleviate academic issues.

3. Portfolio assessment, by analyzing and evaluating the competency of the body of work presented, we can construct a unique curriculum suited for each individual student.

4. Self evaluation, by allowing each student to correct his or her own work, it fosters a sense of responsibility often reserved for the teacher or educator.

It is always important to realize "it takes a village to raise a child." With that idea in mind, we as educators must begin to think outside of the "box" in order to incite change and motivation in our children. We must treat every child as our very own, as only then can real change begin to occur. Fostering an environment of self love and caring for others can often lead to leadership and responsibility to others. Once we begin to be our "brother's keeper" then we will see our real mission in life, which is to serve others.

Learning should be associated with fun activities, which seems to be declining in the public schools. Instead most schools are concerned about state exams and the individual scores of each school district. Teachers are now faced with teaching for an exam rather than teaching for pure knowledge and academic stimulation. The fun in school has been replaced with financing metal detectors and an armed police presence. What happened to field trips, extra/intra curricula activities? Who are the real victims... parents." less...