Annually, the country celebrates National Teacher Appreciation Day on May 7th. It’s a nice reminder to acknowledge the positive impact teachers have on our children. Clearly, in this era of high stakes testing and accountability, it’s even more important to have quality teachers who work well with students in and out of the classroom.
Fortunately, we have a number of exemplary teachers in our school district who in addition to their fine instructional skills show empathy, selflessness, and altruism in their everyday work with students. From time to time, I remark on some of our Island Trees professionals who possess these qualities.
This week, in particular, I would like to publicly praise the work of our high school special education chair, Mr. Damian Garcia. Mr. Garcia is one of the teachers I describe above. He is actively involved in our school community and helps provide Island Trees students an engaging learning environment. His academic focus and work with special needs students is truly noteworthy. Naturally, he understands how to reach these students in an academic manner, but he also addresses the social and emotional needs which are so important for these students to succeed.
In addition to his exemplary work as a department leader and classroom teacher, Mr. Garcia is an outstanding coach and mentor to our wrestling student-athletes. In fact, he was recently named Nassau County Coach of the Year for his work with these students. In closing, we fortunate to have many staff members who like Mr. Garcia give their all to make our Island Trees a special place for your children.
