IMPORTANT DATES

SAD SHARING
POSTED 5/3/12

     We are saddened to report the passing of Cynthia Langhauser, sister of Claire Geraci (Elementary/TP - retiring this June) and sister-in-law of Nick Geraci (Guidance Counselor and Coordinator). Cynthia fought cancer valiantly for several years but passed away late Wednesday, May 2nd. Viewing is for one day only, Monday, May 7th at Raynor and D'Andrea, Montauk Highway, WEST SAYVILLE. Hours are 2-5 and 7-9:30. Services will be at St. John's Church on Green Avenue, Sayville at 10a.m
     Anyone wishing may send a contribution to Having Friends, I.N.N., 131 Middle Road, Sayville, New York 11782 as per her wishes. Nick and Claire's address is 32 Revelyn Court, Sayville, NY 11782, .

SAD SHARING
POSTED 5/9/12
     Edward Mussler, son in law of Florence Corkery and brother in law of Kate Corkery passed away.

Arrangements:
Raynor and D'Andrea Funeral Home in Bayport
Thursday May 10th 2-4:30 and 7-9:30
Service on Friday morning at 9:30.

Condolences to Florence
224 Connetquot Road
Bayport Ny 11705

Condolences to Kate
50 Erwin Street
Sayville NY 11782

---

SOUTH MIDDLE SCHOOL AWARDS NIGHT DINNER
POSTED 5/18/12
     South Middle School will be honoring 8th grade students for their achievements at the 2012 Inaugural Ithiel Lloyd Awards Night Dinner on June 4. For more details click here.

---

SAD SHARING
POSTED 5/25/12
     Shirley Hodges, passed away on May 13th at the age of 92 in Louisville, CO after a prolonged illness. She is survived by her three sons, six grandchildren and two great grandchildren, She will be greatly missed.
     View the Obituary in Newsday.

---

      Gene was an English teacher in the high school before he became certified as a Guidance Counselor in the Ross Building. Subsequent to his retirement he contributed to Volume 1 of the Writers Group presentation to the Brentwood Public Library where his account resides today.

     In no way was I a teacher after the "90 day wonder" double summer session of educational gobbledygook. But I had my teachers certificate didn't I? Getting a Job was easy. The demand for teachers was huge. The baby boomers had arrived at schools across the nation. There was not enough teachers as well as buildings to contain them. As long as you were in the ITTP program, and working on getting your master's in education you could choose the school district you wanted to teach in.     
     After having been hired at North Babylon, I was assigned to the Junior high as a teacher of English. The day before the kids arrived to begin the new school year, I was given a course outline, the ninth grade curriculum, a weekly planning book, and my teacher's marking book.
      What to do? The course outline included not only American and English Literature but units in creative writing, poetry, vocabulary building, spelling, grammar, syntax, etc., etc.
     That first day, that first week, that first year, and the subsequent early years, I learned from my own experiences and from my students how to become an English Teacher.
      America was entering a strange new world. The devastating heartbreak of the Second World War and Korea had recently ended. The nuclear holocaust was on the horizon, with the then nuclear powers almost daily, testing their latest atom or hydrogen bombs. The Cold War, aptly named by Winston Churchill, pitting East against West, had begun. The future looked bleak indeed. Citizens were encouraged to build bomb shelters and store them with provisions, while at
schools, the teachers and students regularly practiced atomic survival drills, when everyone knew
you would not survive, if in fact an actual nuclear bomb was dropped on New York City.

      Because I was new, a novice, and did not have the traditional teacher's training, I had to rely on my own resources. Commitment and inventiveness, to make practical, and hopefully a lasting impact on the lives of the kids I was engaged to teach, and to make English viable, and yet
to intrigue them with the beauty of written literature and how it affects all our lives were my goals.
     The kids taught me too. I learned I was able to adapt my methods of teaching with each decade that followed those first turbulent years of teaching English to reluctant, shy, unsure, bewildered students. It is rewarding to know that some choose to become teachers too.

Why did we do it? What was our purpose in taking on such an open ended “History Project”; the one for which we’ve evolved a script of questions with corresponding answers from over one hundred and fifty dedicated volunteers for nearly two decades?
      We couldn’t answer the question in ‘94 when people would ask “What are you going to do with the interviews?” All we could say was that for educational and informational purposes we had better document our record or lose any chance to preserve innumerable poignant accounts, humorous stories and touching tales told to us by exemplary educators and dedicated public servants, who shortly and for reasons unknown might soon be leaving our Brentwood for good.
     We decided to let time sort out the details as we commenced making appointments to ask questions and simply listen. Listen we did as this project evolved saving for subsequent generations the very essence of what it means to have been an educator or employed in a large student centered public school system during the latter half of the twentieth century. Brentwood remains an exemplar to all the others; a diverse microcosm and accurate reflection of the approximately one hundred and twenty seven neighboring school districts on Long Island and the thousands across this country. We’ve accomplished something here, something we can all be proud of having been part of, whether we were interviewed or not, ours is a claim of service that few other professionals in the State of New York are positioned to share in a like manner.
     INITIALLY the practice of sitting for an hour with the Subject of our interview and giving them one hundred percent of our focused attention for that period of time seemed a little threatening to many of our friends and former colleagues. So much so in fact that many declined repeated invitations to be interviewed as they left careers behind or retired from full time employ with the District. Despite all assurances that this was not to be about investigative journalism or invading their privacy, they’ve deferred. Until now, almost seventeen years after we began, some say they may finally be ready. We say, “Better late than never”. However, to all those among you who were willing to share openly not only your classroom experiences but personal stories, precious memories from your lives and fondest hopes for the future, we say thanks for allowing us to be able to continue the process of giving as we now are able to share interviews with you, with the community and with countless regional professional educators and researchers through tentative acceptance of ROBS offer of collaboration with The Long Island Studies Institute at Hofstra University.
      You can now enjoy unlimited visits to www.robsny.org/ where you’ll see and hear segments from the History Project Interviews featured here in the ROBS History Project section on the Announcements Page archived each month thereafter for those wishing to return again and again.

Pattie Monsen
    Just prior to Christmas, Dec. 23, 2011 we sat for the interview. Her   career had spanned thirty three years. Growing up in the Bronx, the family moved to Levittown when she was four. Moving eventually from East Meadow to Brentwood, she attended schools here from Fifth Grade. A spirited, assertive young woman she knew early on that teaching was for her. Heavily influenced by role models like Ross Herzog, Chico Frankel, Ray Lieber, Doug Calluchi, Nick Geraci, Helen Miller and Mr. Frieberg her first year, she reflects upon the impact Mike Welch, Joe Fort, Tony Mesner, Mary Jo Schmidt, Betsy Nabroskis, Joe Basso, Peggy Englehardt, Jerry Cohen, Judi Weissman and Cas Howard had on her life. Attending and graduating from BHS in the 1970’s she enrolled in Western Teachers College in Connecticut. Patti recounts memories of the day JFK died and the infamous incident at East Junior High when a swat team occupied the building, and worst still - the day the Twin Towers fell. Having experienced Brentwood as a student and teacher she concludes that “kids are kids” and really no different today. The internet has made it somewhat easier for them but basically they are “the same kids – just taller”. As an active volunteer with the music program she maintains contact with colleagues and is still “paying it forward”. She insists teaching is “wonderful’ but reserved for “a certain kind of person”….though it’s “not easy”. Yet if you love what you do you can’t help but pass it along.

WHERE IS SANDRA CHASE?
POSTED 4/28/12
     I am reaching out to The Town Crier Mailing list (and other Brentwood people). I have been trying to contact Sandra Chase, who I know was very ill. When I just called now, her cell phone was disconnected and the land line rang for three minutes with no pickup. If you have any information or can suggest another place to try, please let me know, I am very concerned.
Claudia DeBellis