Hello! Thanks for visiting my "about me" page! I have been teaching at John F. Kennedy High School in Bellmore since 2004. My teaching course load varies from year to year and has included the following courses: The Living Environment, College Human Anatomy & Physiology, Introduction to Research, AP Psychology, College Genetics, and Forensic Science. In addition to being a dedicated full-time science teacher, I have also served as advisor to the JFK Key Club, an international community service organization for high school students.
I knew I wanted to become a teacher after serving as an undergraduate teaching assistant in college. I enjoyed leading my own discussion section class and received positive feedback from both my students and my professor, and so the decision was made! I attended Binghamton University for my undergraduate degree and Molloy College for my Masters degree. I highly recommend both institutions and enjoyed my experiences there. My family, movies, photography, and traveling, especially visiting Disney World and cruising, are all things I enjoy in my free time. My favorite vacation ever was the Mediterranean cruise I took on my honeymoon where my husband and I visited many ports in Italy along with Croatia, Spain, and France. We are both first-generation Italian-American; both of my parents were born in Sicilia, the southern island region of Italy, and his family is from Calabria. Travel is our favorite pastime! My personal bucket list includes seeing Alaska, Australia, and Antarctica someday! I have been married to my wonderful husband since 2005. Our oldest son Joseph was born in 2010 and our youngest, Nicholas in 2016. Becoming a mother has given me an even broader perspective on teaching my students. I treat them as I hope my sons' future teachers will treat them, with respect, kindness, and encouraging the curiosity and problem solving of life-long learning. |
I owe a debt of gratitude to all of my own teachers growing up who inspired me to love learning and enjoy imparting knowledge onto others. One particular favorite is my 9th grade biology teacher, Mr. Eugene Yankosky. Every day he forced us to greet him with a smile and yell in unison, "Mio myo I love bio!" I guess it worked on me! I have a sign posted in my own classroom with that saying displayed as a dedication to him and as a daily reminder of the roots of my love of biology. Thanks Mr. Yank!