In Retirement, Mr. Amato is Still Teaching

Last year, Robert Amato retired after 48 years as a teacher in the Island Trees School District. He isn't finished teaching, though.

Once a month, Amato and many of his former students can be found at the Island Trees Public Library. The former teacher leads a discussion-based program that takes an in-depth look at current events.

The program, first suggested by Anne Bauman, the library’s head reference librarian, launched in September. Amato moderates the discussion, accompanied by an expert on that month’s topic. Last Wednesday, the topic was Syria, and an expert on Syrian affairs spoke. Once his presentation ended, he fielded questions from Levittowners in the audience.

Amato considers the expert essential to the discussion. “[It's less effective] for me to say that I read the biography of Malcolm X, and this is what he said, and now let’s talk, rather than having somebody who said ‘I was there, I knew him, this is what he’s like,’” he said. “Having someone who experienced it is a book in itself, and [it’s] more interesting.”

The discussion format itself, where everyone sits in a circle, is also important. It allows Amato the freedom to let those who attend the discussion ask what they want and take whatever they choose out of the presentation.

“Bob had the idea of the format being a circle,” said Jessica Koenig, the director of the Island Trees library. “The first time we set up the room, we set it up lecture-style, and he said ‘That’s not really what I want.’ We changed it into a circle, and that set the tone of it from the very beginning.”

This is important for Amato because it fits with his educational philosophy. “I think most credible teachers feel that it’s a necessity to have written tests, given the number of students,” he said. “But true education is just showing them the way and letting them learn and getting out of their way and being there when they come back with a question.”

Holding the discussion at the library adds to the appeal. “It’s the idea of libraries hopefully becoming cultural centers in a community,” Amato said. “The library should be the place where the person who doesn’t attend school or doesn’t have the advantage of higher education can drop in, read a book and not be alone at his table reading a book. This can be a mini-university. Why not?”

To call Amato a popular figure at Island Trees would be an understatement. When he retired, Superintendent Charles Murphy called him an icon. Writer and producer Tom Kapinos, a former student, references him on his TV show “Californication.”

Many of the people who attend Amato’s discussions are former students. They come to learn not just the topic, but to learn from the man leading the discussion. The appreciation is special to Amato.

“It’s the greatest compliment in the world,” he said. “Next to the birth of your children and finding love in your life, it’s spectacular.”