A Fond Farewell to our Retirees
A good teacher is like a candle - it consumes itself to light the way for others.
~Author Unknown
As the school year draws to a close, many teachers will reflect on the educational journey they traveled on with their Central Islip students. For some, the end of the school year means they will embark on a new journey - retirement. CITA would like to thank Barri Lynn Baltic, Walter F. Banaszak, Stefanie Bristol, Susan Goldstein, Joseph Governale, Wendy Kaplan, Cynthia Nadler, Roy Pakett, Dennis Reeth, Stephanie Roes, and Paul Solaski for their immense dedication to the children of the Central Islip community and the educational profession. We wish you success as you begin a new chapter in your life!
Our retirees were asked to reflect on the following questions:
-How many years have you dedicated to the Central Islip School District?
-What grades/subjects have you taught?
-What are your most memorable teaching experiences?
-Who were your mentors as a teacher?
-What advice do you have for those teachers that are new to the profession?
-What are your future plans as a retiree?
Below are their responses. |
Walter Banaszak:
Stefanie Bristol:
I have dedicated 17 years to the students of Central Islip. Over the years I have taught every level of public education: Elementary, Junior High, and High School. Prior to arriving at Central Islip, I served as a Bilingual Elementary teacher as well as a Secondary Spanish, French and Latin teacher. At Central Islip, I was a guidance counselor for students in grades 9 - 12. I also was a guidance counselor for English Language Learners 9 - 12. My most memorable experiences were assisting students who were undocumented gain entry into college. In three instances the students achieved full rides to college; a feat they never imagined was possible. My mentors were my senior guidance counselors. Thank you, Cliff Rieser, Minell Wilson, and Walter Banaszak. The advice that I can offer to new members of the profession is to keep smiling. Be open to suggestions and advice. If you aren't sure about something, ask. Be sincere, kind, and fair to the students; believe me, they know it if you aren't. Don't count the days to the next vacation or until retirement; they will be here sooner than you think. Don't be afraid to try out new techniques or ideas. Most of all, try to enjoy each day. As a retiree, my husband and I recently sold our home of 22 years in Stony Brook. Both our daughters have graduated college and are moving on with their careers. We will move into our new home in The Villages, Florida on June 8th of 2011 where we hope to keep really busy and active lives. I invite you to stay in touch and keep us updated on events in Central Islip. And if you come down to the Orlando area, please look us up.
Walt Eberhard:
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Susan Goldstein:
I have taught in Central Islip for 24 years - 3 years as a substitute teacher and 21 as a regularly appointed teacher. After my first year as a 1st grade teacher I was excessed, but then felt like I died and went to heaven when I was reappointed as a grades 1-6 Reading teacher. I have two favorite, memorable teaching experiences. The first was meeting a former struggling reading student who was graduating. I learned that the student was in Honor classes and graduating from CIHS and going to start college in the fall. The second experience, which I am happy to say has happened numerous times, is when students who have entered my class stating they don’t like reading, leave saying they now like to read books. I have had many mentors along the way, all fantastic reading teachers. The first was Annemarie Smith who guided me as a new reading teacher. More recently, I was fortunate to be mentored by the late Carol Pufahl who was a blessing to the entire Reading Department. And lastly, Carol’s mentoring was continued by Anne Genovese and our reading coaches’ expertise. I owe so much to all of them. My advice to the new teachers is to never stop learning and growing in your profession. Be willing to try new things and experiment throughout your career. Also, get involved and support your union. You will one day appreciate the full extent of what a strong union has done for you. As I retire, I look forward to spending time with my first two grandchildren, Peter Samuel, 4 months, and Harrison Avery, 2 months. I am relishing escaping some of the frigid winter weather by spending some time in Florida. I also look forward to traveling the world with my husband, Arthur.
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Joseph Governale:
I have dedicated 38 years to the students and community of Central Islip. I have taught the elementary grades, 6th and 5th, and remedial math for 17years; and attendance in elementary and the High School for 21years. I have had many memorable classroom teaching experiences. The most memorable, however, is in the last 21 years seeing students graduate that would not have graduated without intervention. My mentors include Mark Newhouse and Bill Burger in the classroom and Dennis Frett from the William Floyd School District in my Attendance position. My advice for teachers that are new to the profession is to make it your passion, and make a difference. My time as a retiree is being spent volunteering for the Stony Brook Volunteer Fire Department as a volunteer firefighter/ ambulance.
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Wendy Kaplan
I have dedicated 38 years to the students and community of Central Islip. I have taught everything from Kindergarten through senior high school in the Special Education Department. I spent the last four years of my teaching career teaching the Read 180 Literacy program to students in the Reed Middle School 7th and 8th grade Special Education Clusters. There are too many memorable teaching experiences to single just one out. The most satisfying experience has been when I run into former students and see them as productive adult members of their communities. My early teaching mentors included Martin Fineberg, Howard Cooper, Jim Nohe, Marian Lorenz, Helen Sands, and Geraldine Proferes. These most generous and wonderful teachers took me under their wings. They helped me master the art of teaching. If I could offer advice to teachers that are new to the profession, I strongly suggest that new teachers seek out the council and support of their more experienced colleagues. I also recommend that all new teachers become actively involved in their local teachers’ association. My future plans include travel, political activism, and blogging. Look for my blog at http:wendykaplanedu.com.
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Cindy Nadler
As I plan for retirement, I am amazed at just how quickly twenty-five years have passed. It seems like yesterday that I was enrolling in method classes and preparing for a career which eventually brought me to Central Islip. As I reminisce, I am reminded of how many people were influential in my development as a teacher and I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge them.
I consider myself fortunate to have been in buildings with some extraordinary teachers. Long before a mentoring program, there were teachers who generously offered their advice, guidance, knowledge, and support. Included in the group were: Mindy Apecilla, Louise DeMilt, Dolores Dryoff, Eileen Hayden, Carmela Heedles, Tom Kuhn, Marlene L’Hommodieu, Nancy Libert, Helen Martin, Peggy Misner, Ellen Murtha, Pete Pesco, and Brad Tierno. I appreciated their assistance and feel honored to have known them. There were also some colleagues who became dear personal friends (they know who they are). Last, but not least, were all the children entrusted to my care. Some tugged at my heartstrings; some tried my patience; some caused me to learn more, try harder, and do better. To Beatrice, Brandon, Clinesa, Darnell, Fredrick, Jeff, Jenny, Jessica, Jill, Jesus, Jose, Leshawn, Lindsay, Michael, Moises, Ricky, Robert, and Tyler, amongst many others, I thank you for the memories. I became a better teacher because of what you have taught me.
As my teaching career draws to a close, I look forward to retirement: not as an ending, but as the beginning of a whole new set of adventures and wonderful possibilities.
And to the colleagues I leave behind, especially those who have been excessed – I extend to you all my sincere best wishes.
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Dennis Reeth:
 I have been a High School English teacher for 36 years. I have had many positive, memorable experiences teaching the Central Islip children, far too many to include. My mentor as a teacher is Bill Schiavo. If I could offer advice to the teachers who are new to the profession I would say that Central Islip is an under rated district. It is a phenomenal place to work with great kids! As a retiree, I plan to travel and spend time with family and friends.
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Roy Pakett:
I have spent 32 years in Central Islip, and 36 years in education. I have taught Driver Education (2 Years), Health Education (23 summers), and Special Education (30 Years) 12-1-1, 15-1. I was a HS Educational Evaluator (10 Years), and also coached Varsity baseball, Girls Tennis, and Bowling. (12 years coaching for Central Islip, 37 years of coaching) My most memorable experiences are coaching varsity baseball - making it to the playoffs (2003) for the first time in many years. My mentor wasGerry Lawler. The advice I have to offer to people that are new to the profession is it's a great profession. Get certified in as many areas as possible. Never forget we are here for "the children”. As a retiree, I plan on traveling with my beautiful wife around the world, and coaching baseball.
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Stephanie Roes:
I taught in the Mulvey Elementary School in Central Islip for 40 years. I taught Kindergarten for 15 years, third grade for 15 years and AIS Math for 10 years. There are too many memorable experiences to enumerate, but I loved it when former students came back to see me years after I had them in class. It was great to find out about their lives and the impact that their teachers had on them. Many became teachers, too. I was fortunate to have Allison Cummings, Jennifer Rotunda, and Patrick Murphy as students who are now teaching in Central Islip Schools. I am also proud that my daughter, Karianne Terino, has been teaching in Central Islip for the past twelve years. I had several mentors beginning with Jane McDonough when I started teaching and also with my car pool - Peggy Caulson, Midge Schwarz and Lynn Thoma who all helped me continue to learn about all aspects of teaching. I was fortunate to have mentors who became lifelong friends. The advice that I have to offer to the people that are new to the teaching profession is to have a mentor to help you gain insight into the classroom experience and to share in the joys and frustrations of being a teacher. One lesson my mentors taught me was that we all will have our fans and our foes, but not to stress over it as long as you feel you did what was right for each child. I retired last summer and to be perfectly honest, it has been an adjustment for me. After working for so many years, I miss everything about teaching from the students to my friends at Mulvey. I have been volunteering which has helped me transition into this final chapter of life. I spend time playing Sudoku, doing crossword puzzles, playing scrabble, reading, shopping and making gift baskets. I have three beautiful daughters and three loving grandchildren whom my husband and I get to see often. Life is good!
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Paul Solaski:
I have taught for 37 years in the Central Islip School District. I taught High School English. Over the years I have had many memorable experiences… yet this year I visited the school to drop items off and the juniors came out of a presentation in the auditorium, and when they saw me they were so nice. I was overwhelmed. I miss seeing students. My mentors that I learned from include Schiavo, Parise, Kelly, and many of the young teachers in my department who have so much enthusiasm. The advice I can offer to people that are new to the profession is that sometimes you need to count to ten. Students don’t always see through your eyes, but they’d like to. As a retiree, I will be dedicating time to the Central Islip Soccer Club. |
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