District News

English Teacher Wins Award for Excellence

 

Oct . 31, 2011

 

Canajoharie High School English teacher Richele Simmons-Mollica feels one of her strongest qualities as a teacher is helping students understand that what she teaches them makes sense in the real world.

Her passion paid-off recently as the New York State English Council named her a 2011 Educator of Excellence at the annual conference on Oct. 21 in Albany. According to the brochure, this year’s theme: "Teaching Humanity: The Character Connection," blended two ideas: character education and "the characters that reside in the books we teach and in our hearts." The award honors teachers who are leaders in the classroom, collaborators with colleagues, and mentors for teachers new to the profession.

Mrs. Simmons-Mollica - who has been teaching for 10 years in Canajoharie - said it was exciting to earn recognition for what she does.

"It was very rewarding for me. As a teacher, the most exciting thing for me is when I have a group of kids who want to participate in a discussion," she said. "An author writes because he or she has a purpose and getting students to make a connection to the real world is important."

Mrs. Simmons-Mollica and her colleague Randi Korona (who earned the award in 2010) also presented a workshop called "Relatable Character in Contemporary Literature: How to Get the Reluctant Reader to Read and Learn Valuable Lessons through Characters to Whom They Can Relate." Mrs. Simmons-Mollica chose the book, "13 Reasons Why" for the presentation because it has made such an impact with her students.

"The book has been criticized a bit, but I felt it could be a powerful tool. I've had kids who aren't in my class ask to read it," she said. "The book deals with themes like bullying and it's something they can identify with."