Esteemed New York City schoolteacher Jonathan Schulman has a major reason to be proud. He was one of the “Big Apple Award” winners for “Excellence in Teaching”. Schulman chatted with Digital Journal’s Markos Papadatos about this impressive achievement.
Schulman is a 4th grade teacher at P.S. 110 The Monitor Elementary School in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.
On being recognized with a “Big Apple Teacher Award,” he stated, “It felt amazing – like all of my 15 years of teaching, six diverse school communities and countless smiling students all came together at once.”
He opened up about the key to longevity in pedagogy and education. “The key, for me, has been finding something special and new to achieve with students each year. For example, I was so proud of my 4th graders for learning how to use a new, interactive digital program I introduced that challenged their critical-thinking skills while we were learning remotely,” he said.
“Another accomplishment was as the school’s debate team coach where we supported each other during weekly remote meetings that culminated in the Brooklyn North Elementary School Virtual Debate Tournament hosted by MS 50. It’s these types of experiences that continue to motivate me every day of every year I’ve been teaching,” he elaborated.
For young and aspiring teachers, Schulman said, “My advice for young and aspiring educators is to keep families involved in everything you do. Especially during the pandemic, I’ve relished the opportunity to become co-teachers with parents and guardians.”
“We stay connected through the newsletter I assemble called the Monthly Monitor. It highlights amazing student work and creativity our teachers submit and serves as a vehicle for parents to share in their children’s learning of current community and world events,” he remarked.
