Meet Mendham Township Elementary School’s New Assistant Principal

Mendham Township, NEW JERSEY (October 6, 2022) – With the 2022-2023 school year well underway, we had an opportunity to speak with the newly appointed Assistant Principal of Mendham Township Elementary School (MTES), Mr. Michal Ferenc, and gather his insights on education and connecting with elementary-aged students.

Members of the community may already know Mr. Ferenc, as he had previously served as Sixth Grade Social Studies Teacher and Technology Integration Specialist at the Middle School in Mendham Township. In both roles, he had the opportunity to work with teachers at all grade levels and subjects at the middle school. Mr. Ferenc was born in Poland and came with his family to the United States when he was five years old. He completed his Master's Degree in Educational Leadership at Montclair State University and acquired his Principal and Supervisor certification in 2017.

Q. Can you provide a brief overview of your philosophy on education and managing student behavior?
I believe that every child can learn and that we, as educators, are responsible for providing a well-rounded education with the necessary foundational academic and social/emotional skills to realize their full potential. These skills include the ability to be able to read and process information, explain thoughts and ideas through written and expressive language, and understand mathematical concepts. All of these skills, by being built upon incrementally from early childhood, provide learners with the foundations to pursue any dreams they will have in the future. In addition to these foundational academic skills, schools also have a responsibility to ensure that students have a strong social and emotional foundation to persevere and overcome the obstacles of life.
Sometimes certain obstacles may impede a student’s ability to learn, and it is the duty of the school, in partnership with the parents/guardians, to identify the root-cause of the issue and develop an action plan to help the student find success. Which leads to my belief that early intervention is key to helping students make up any skill deficits impeding their development and putting them back on track with peers. Without interventions, students who struggle as readers in first grade will probably continue to struggle in fourth grade and the gap between these learners and their peers continues to widen. These learners are also perceptive of their struggles which in turn may manifest as issues with motivation, behavior, and/or confidence. Which is why it is so important to take into account the whole story of the child when attempting to help a struggling student get back on track and to remember that what we see on the surface are symptoms of an underlying issue that we need to discover and address.

Q. Can you share a childhood experience/memory that influenced and perhaps shaped your philosophy on education?
This leads on from my previous answer that every child deserves to learn to read and write, and a child is not responsible for their circumstances. In my own personal experience as a five-year old coming from a non-English speaking country, this belief resonates strongly with me. My educators were pivotal and essential in providing me with a great education and inspiring my academic career. I moved from Poland at the age of five and was fortunate to have great teachers that were willing to put in extra time and effort to help myself and other children acquire the language and assimilate to the culture. They helped me to succeed academically and to excel as a member of my new community. It is because of their commitment to teaching that I knew and felt that I belonged and had opportunities to succeed! I often think about how different my life would have been had I not had those same teachers. I see that same care and commitment with the teaching force at Mendham Township School District and look forward to continuing to support it. As I said, regardless of any student’s circumstances, everyone deserves the opportunity to learn and to be able to participate successfully as a member of their community.

Q. We live in a fast-evolving environment (pandemic, technology advancements, media communications), can you suggest one or two questions that parents should be asking their children on a regular basis?
A great dialogue to have with your children on a regular basis is to discuss what may be the peaks and valleys of their day, and to be ready to also share what may have happened during your own day. Children need to understand that you are also human and not every day may go exactly as you want. Even as an adult, you have your own obstacles. It is a great opportunity to model resilience and grit.
Another gentle opener with younger children is to ask them what they think the future will look like. Ask them if there is anything happening in the world that they have heard about that does not make sense to them. As much as we would like to protect our children from some of the events of the world, we cannot always control what they hear from peers. This way they can have a platform to share what they are hearing and provide you with an opportunity to discuss events at an age-appropriate level.

Q. On a lighter note, if you were talking to a student, how would you finish this sentence: "Growing up, I ..."
Growing up, I loved to get mail addressed to me. It was great to see something in the mailbox addressed to me. I felt like a grown-up. Now, when I get mail it’s only bills and advertisements! So students, enjoy this time. At school you may use your writing skills to prepare cards and thank you notes for parents, teachers, members of the services, and other community members. Remember your notes are probably their favorite mail that they will receive that day!

Thank you, Mr. Ferenc, for taking the time to share your insights with us. We look forward to catching up with Mr. Nicolas Angrisani, Assistant Principal of Mendham Township Middle School, for an upcoming news article.