Elmsford Superintendent Encourages Teachers to Take Risks

Take risks. Be creative. Don’t be afraid to fail. Always keep growing and moving forward.

Those were the challenges Elmsford Superintendent Joseph L. Ricca gave teachers on Aug. 31 as they prepared to begin a new school year next week.

“It’s easy to stay in our comfort zone. It’s hard to take that step outside. I am giving you permission to step outside,” he said at the start of Superintendent’s Conference Day at Alexander Hamilton High School. “You can try new things. You can innovate in your classrooms. You can do what you think is going to be best for our kids. We’re going to work with you. We’re going to support you.”

Dr. Ricca asked faculty members to “think about some things that you might be able to switch up” and encouraged them to try new activities. He suggested they take some lessons outside the classroom, collaborate with other faculty members and let children work with students in different classes and grade levels. Teachers should find out what really excites their children and figure out how to bring that into the classroom. He joked that anyone who found a way to incorporate the Pokemon GO game into the curriculum would be a district hero.

“Teaching is not the filling of a bucket, it’s the lighting of a fire,” the superintendent said after playing a short video about teaching and preparing motivated students in a rapidly changing world.

Dr. Ricca emphasized that the teaching methods of the past are not what today’s students need to thrive in the future. Technology and jobs are continuously changing. “What we have to remember is that we need to give our students the skills so that whatever the jobs are, whatever the opportunities are, they’re going to be able to get there and be successful.”

Dr. Ricca also stressed the importance of building relationships and trust with students and families. “We need to have that strong connection with the home and keep our learning moving forward,” he said.

In introducing Board of Education President Dennis Rambaran, Dr. Ricca said the school board has been “extremely supportive” of teachers and understands that they are “the people who are making the magic happen, each and every day with our kids.” Mr. Rambaran gave examples of teachers at all three schools who were responsible for some of that magic last year.

At Alice E. Grady School, a teacher helped a student who wanted to become a member of the Drama Club and Student Council but struggled with performing and public speaking. The teacher’s encouragement gave the student the confidence to write an original short story and read it to his classmates. In the spring, he performed a comedy routine in the spring talent show.

When a Carl L. Dixson School student lost a close family member, the child’s teacher attended the wake and reached out to the family.

“What developed was a very powerful connection that not only supported the grieving child, but also supported the entire family,” Mr. Rambaran said. “This teacher’s demonstration of compassion and support emphasizes the impact of teachers that go beyond the classroom and into the community.”

The superintendent congratulated 10 staff members who reached service milestones. Seven have been with the district for 15 years, one for 20 years, one for 25 years and one for 30 years. He praised five employees for their perfect attendance records, singled out the district’s three “Teachers of the Year,” and welcomed 15 new teachers and staff members.