SUMMER 2007 - Taconic Hills Central School District

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A YEAR IN THE LIFE OF...First Year Spanish Teacher Laura-Ann CammisaSpanish teacher Laura-AnnCammisa has had a lot of jobs.She was once a personal assistantto the actress Susan Strasberg.She worked in an antique store onMadison Avenue in New York, dealingwith customers around the world.She took the stage at the New YorkCity Opera as an extra in productionsranging from “La Traviata “ to“Le Coq d’Or.” For quite a while sheran a catering business; cheese cakeswere a specialty. Her first real careerwas in the travel industry; based inManhattan, she traveled extensively.Not long ago, she was the executivedirector of the Columbia-GreeneHumane Society; she is the currentPresident of the New York StateHumane Association. She wrote a foodcolumn for a while.Now, she can add something elseto her resume. She has finished herfirst year as a middle school Spanishteacher at Taconic Hills.How did she get here—and howdid the year go?“It was the best year,” she said, sittingin her classroom on the last dayof school. “This job has been a gift.”Ms. Cammisa’s students had justgone home for the summer. She didnot seem in any hurry to leave. Shepicked up a Spanish conversationstarter she uses in class. She talkedabout her colorful past. She rememberedthe year she spent in Pisapursuing Renaissance studies in college;that was where she learnedItalian. She had already learnedFrench and Spanish.She became a teacher much laterin life by substituting in HudsonHigh School while she was runningher catering business out of herClaverack home. During that time,she started an after-school Italianclass as part of an enrichment programwith a few dozen Taconic Hillsstudents and also taught in the continuingeducation program here.Then she taught Italian and Spanishfull-time at Hudson for four years.When a Spanish position opened upback at Taconic Hills, her home district,she jumped at the opportunity.At Taconic Hills, she works with90 students a day. Her approach isto keep her classroom lively, to useas much Spanish as possible and notto overwhelm her students’ attentionspans.“I’m teaching differently than theway I myself was taught,” she said.“I’ve had to adjust to the way kidsare today. I use a lot of differenttechniques. Role playing, repetition,games and active review.”This past year, two-thirds of herstudents scored 90 or above on stateassessments.“I don’t teach to the tests, but youcan’t help but have them in the backof your mind.”“I want students to realize thatthey’re not just learning a language,they’re learning about culture, a wayof life, respect, seeing differences andsimilarities around you. I point out acommon phrase or name like the RioGrande River, and what that says toa Spanish speaker. I try to get themto think in Spanish.”She emphasized the support shehas gotten from her fellow languageteachers, Kristina Shepard andKaren Fitzharris, as well as formerSuperintendent David Paciencia andPrincipal Steven Drescher.Besides the pleasure she gets fromhelping her students learn a new language,she said she feels good thatshe could conquer a new challenge atthis point in her life.“I didn’t really need a new career.But it turns out that of all the thingsI’ve done, this is my favorite,” she said.“I’ve always had a lot of energy.But there’s something about this joband working with kids… For me, it’svery energizing.” ▲8I want students to realize that they’re not just learning alanguage, they’re learning about culture, a way of life, respect.
A Talk with Former TH Superintendent David Pacencia. . . continued from page 2Q: How would you describe yourself as a person?A: A blue collar worker in a white collar job. I am firstgeneration in this country. My father came here alone, asa teenager with two dimes in his pocket. I never got anallowance, and I learned from him a strong work ethicand the power of positive thinking.Q: You must have many good memories.But are there some bad ones?A: I do have some sad memories over the years. In thepast, I have attended many needless funerals becausekids were driving before they really knew what they weredoing and/or because of drug or alcohol use while driving.And there have been times when I have seen adultsgive up on a child. That has always made me sad. I trulybelieve every child can learn—it’s just that each of uslearns differently.Q: If you could change something in publiceducation today, what would it be?A: There are many things. I would have more parentsrealize the importance of being a parent first and a friendlater. I would reduce the amount of testing that is putupon our kids. I would make all educators accountable,not the trend that is presently occurring. I wouldlengthen the school day. I would allow for kids to holdjobs only on weekends and to focus on schooling first.I would make pre-school mandatory.Q: Any perception changes you’d like to see?A: I’d like people to realize that you cannot have a successfulschool system without outstanding bus drivers, outstandingclerical support, outstanding maintenance staff, acafeteria staff that provides food that kids will buy, enjoyand is healthy for them, and of course administrators whoreally make this all happen. All of these groups need to beequally respected, in addition to teachers. It is the entireteam that makes education successful, and another integralpart of that team is to include the parents as part of it.All of us together help a child succeed.Q: Anything else?A: Yes. “The administration” needs to be recognizedwithin the school system not as a monolith but as humanbeings with human feelings. I’m afraid that people hereare quick to point at the administration as an “it.”Everyone who works here is a person first and a titlesecond. None of us was born with a suit on. This systemhas so many activities after school, and our administratorsare so few, that it requires a lot of evenings out.Our principals put in extraordinary hours. It doesn’tleave a lot of time for family and rest. Larger schoolsystems have layers of administration. Most rural schoolsdo not because we tend to be more responsive to keepingtaxes lower. It’s easy to make a mistake or two whenyou are not rested. Not everyone realizes this. I wish ourprincipals were appreciated more.Q: Do you have thoughts about the systemof tenure?A: I have never believed in tenure. I never kept a tenureletter that I received. I have never seen a district get rid ofsomeone who was highly competent. The most accountablejob in a school district is that of the superintendent,and that job cannot get tenure—nor should it. Tenuredoesn’t make it impossible to dismiss a teacher, but itdoes make it very costly to taxpayers to do so. I’d liketo see this changed.Q: Any follow-up comments on restoration workon the school building?A: It was a big job that required a lot of behind-thesceneswork. Most of the companies were helpful to us.The object was to get the problems fixed, not to blamepeople. By the end of July, all the planned remediationefforts should be concluded. Just like a large home orstore, a facility this large will always face the likelihoodof a problem or two with age in the future.Q: How do you see the future for Taconic Hills?A: I see incredible possibility and some big challenges.It used to be hard to recruit teachers here. Now it is not.We have some wonderful younger teachers and turnoveris down. We’ve expanded our A.P. program. Our graduationrates are up and test scores are moving in the rightdirection. I honestly believe that this district has thechance to be one of the best in the state. Our two biggestchallenges, in my opinion, are declining enrollment andescalating costs, including unfunded government mandates.Fewer children are being born in this district andhousing is not affordable for young families. In addition,it will be a constant challenge to maintain an affordableschool budget as we have these past years.Q: Any advice to TH students?A: Believe in yourself. Focus on your education—allthe other “stuff” can wait. Your success in the futuredepends largely upon your focus on education—withoutthe other distractions. Act and dress respectfully, andothers will give you respect; it all has to be earned. Asmy father told me, no matter how hard it may be, youmust believe in yourself before you can expect others tobelieve in you.Q: Anything you’d like to add?A: It has been an honor and a privilege to serve thisgreat school and community of ten townships. I think ofthis area as “Camelot.” ▲9
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