1977
I've always loved learning, but circumstances made me a high school dropout. When I decided to go to night school, get my GHD, and attend CCNY, I already had two small children. It was an easy decision to make and at the same time a very difficult one. I persisted in accomplishing my goals. When I started at CCNY, I felt a feeling of success. I was going to be a TEACHER! It meant a better future for myself and my children. That was my motivation. It was really worth it. I loved CCNY. In those days, there was no tuition, so CCNY allowed me to get an education where otherwise I would have never been able to afford one. I met the most wonderful students and teachers. The professors were caring, kind, compassionate, and understanding. They were extremely knowledgeable and imparted that knowledge to us. My favorite was a professor named Sophie Elam, what a marvel! She ran the Urban Education program, which was a classroom apprenticeship program in the public schools. After graduation, I was in the classroom for 18 years as a bilingual teacher. After I left the classroom, I was a staff developer for the UFT Teacher Center, a Bilingual Program coordinator, an assistant principal, and a principal. I retired after 25 years of service. Out of everything that I did, my best time was spent in the classroom. I loved every minute of it. To illustrate the point, I just had a student reach out to me through a fifth party. I remembered him right away. He told me, 'You were the best teacher I ever had and because of you, I stayed in school, and I made something of myself.' I had wonderful experiences during my career, but there's nothing like the classroom for me.