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OUR TOWN
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November 2, 2006
BLACKBOARD AWARDS 2006
NEWS YOU LIVE BY
BLACKBOARD AWARDS TEACHERS OF THE YEAR—PUBLIC/CHARTER MIDDLE SCHOOL
From Playing Teacher to Head of the Class Education was a natural career choice for social studies teacher Sonia Rivera
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hen I think about it, I’ve always had the inclination to teach,” says Sonia Rivera, who says she played teacher as a child and was tutoring others by the time she was in high school. Rivera teaches 7th and 8th grade social studies at Urban Assembly Academy of Business and Community Development, an all-boys school in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn that was founded two years ago. She describes her teaching style in one word: passionate. While the population she teaches is often referred to as “underachievers,” there is no such thing in her philosophy of teaching, which is simple and clear. She believes everyone can learn, and has high expectations of her students, which in turn gives them selfconfidence. “I motivate my students to learn by showing my enthusiasm for the subject, and they really pick up on this,” she said. “I always try to show them multiple perspectives for any given topic, and promote independent as well as critical thinking. The students know there is a place for their voices in my classroom.”
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PHOTO BY ANDREW SCHWARTZ
Sonia Rivera takes a hands-on approach to learning and tries to make the classroom as experiential and interactive as possible. Rivera believes in a hands-on approach to learning, and makes the classroom as experi-
places on professional development. “One of my most memorable moments in teaching was when I was discussing the nations of Africa,” Rivera said. “A student approached me after class and told me that he hadn’t realized Sierra Leone was a place. When I told him some of the more tragic events that had taken place there, he said, ‘So that is what Kanye West is talking about!’” For Rivera, this was a perfect moment where a student was linking history and music, and making a real life connection. Rivera previously taught at JHS 117 for five years, and at JHS 258, where she was also union representative, for six years. Both schools are in Brooklyn. Currently in her 12th year of teaching, her future goals are to specialize in teacher education, with an emphasis on helping teachers prepare for the urban classroom. And it’s clear her colleagues admire her. One of them nominated Rivera for the Teacher of the Year award, writing, “Ms. Rivera has high expectations for her students, but those high expectations are what she herself strives towards also. She is an extraordinary teacher and human being.” ❉ —Caroline Jaffe-Pickett
ential and interactive as possible. She was born in Manhattan and raised in Queens. Her grandparents came from Puerto Rico and while her parents were fully bilingual, they spoke primarily Spanish at home to preserve their cultural heritage. Rivera was greatly influenced by her parents, who encouraged intellectual curiosity at home, surrounding her with books, maps and globes, and debating current political and social issues. She attended Townsend Harris High School at Queens College, and has an undergraduate degree in political science and a master’s degree in teaching and curriculum, secondary social studies, from the University of Rochester. Rivera has been involved in a number of educational programs. She was a fellow with the Gotham Fellows Program, a partnership between the city’s Department of Education, the Gotham Center at the CUNY Graduate Center, and several other prominent institutions. This comprehensive program for middle school teachers focuses on linking U.S. and New York City history. Rivera incorporates the instructional resources, methodology, and ideas from the program into her classroom, a reflection of the importance she
BLACKBOARD AWARDS TEACHERS OF THE YEAR—INDEPENDENT MIDDLE SCHOOL
In Diveki, a Science Teacher, Math Star and Coach Guidance for those who struggle, and inspiration for those who excel
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Diveki has also put together a few afterschool clubs. His math club teaches students more complicated problems involving graphing calculators. The club provides a fun and
PHOTO BY LUCIA DI POI
applications in business and economics. He also coaches varsity soccer and basketball. Carol Collet, head of the upper school, wrote in an email that Diveki's “passion, enthusiasm and knowledge for his subject” has made his course both enjoyable and rigorous. “Whether in sixth or eighth grade, they relish the time spent in the science lab with Tivi,” Collet wrote. “He brings the atom to life with his humor, fun-filled experiments, and deep understanding of the developmental needs of his students.” Collet praised his work outThe nominating student wrote side the classroom as well, citing that Diveki “has a human way Diveki’s willingness to accompany students on trips and his accesof describing electrons and sibility to parents. electricity…like they had feel“In short, the entire GCS ings.” community benefits from his presence,” she wrote. “He is a master teacher and a master perCollege in Budapest. In 1986 he began teaching son!” Diveki is liked by students of all grades, not eleventh and twelfth grade physics and computer programming at the Anglo-American just because he is a great teacher but because he International School. He arrived at Grace makes learning fun in and out of the classroom. The nominating student wrote that Church School in 1989, and today teaches chemical and physical science to sixth and Diveki “has a human way of describing eleceighth graders, as well as courses in calculus and trons and electricity…like they had feelings.” ivadar Diveki, a middle school teacher at Grace Church School, is known for his fairness, creativity and eagerness to teach. In the words of a student who nominated him as a Teacher of the Year, “He was wonderful at rewarding talented kids and helping confused ones.” A graduate of Eotvos Lorand University in Hungary, Diveki began teaching as an assistant professor of physics at Kando Kalman Technical
In addition to teaching science, Tivadar Diveki runs after-school math clubs and coaches sports.
relaxed environment for students who want to learn more advanced math. One of Diveki’s most popular extracurricular actives has been the Abacus International Math Challenge. Each year students in third through eighth grades participate in solving different levels of math problems online. The program helps students learn math and introduces them to people from many different countries. Diveki works hard to make sure all of his students understand even the toughest material. He’ll spend three classes going over harder lessons, which leaves enough time for the students who are having trouble to learn, but doesn’t let the students who have grasped the ideas become bored. Diveki also has an unusual extra point system. If students meet certain benchmarks, they earn an extra check. And every five checks equals an extra A+ averaged in to that student’s quarter average. In the words of a parent who also submitted Diveki’s name for the award, “He is the one teacher who is responsible for ‘turning my son around’ from being a bored bright kid to a ‘good student.’” ❉ —Rachel Golden