Laura Casciato
I am a: Math Teacher, Central Middle School | Alum, South River High School, 2004 | 2016 Teacher of the Year Nominee
I believe that a teacher’s responsibility is to make every student feel as though they matter and that they can be successful at any level. Not every child learns in the same way but every child deserves to be given the chance to feel successful. I feel that it is my job to make sure that my students know I will do whatever it takes to make the material meaningful to them. I spend a great deal of time after school changing lessons and creating arts integrated activities or other hands-on activities to help them understand the math concepts. If I can give them at least one year where they feel successful in math, then that will carry throughout high school. My students know they can come to me at any time during the day if they need help in any area. I hold my required help days on Tuesdays after school. On Thursdays, I have organized a group of teachers from different content areas that volunteer to help students in any subject they are struggling with. For the past five years I have been running a mentoring group for 8th grade boys and girls that meets four times a week during lunch. The purpose of this group is to give the students a place where they feel safe to express themselves and to help build a support system of peers that they can count on. We discuss grades, the importance of higher education, and social growth. We also go on a college visit each year to highlight different schools around the area. I try to go above and beyond to show my students that I care about all aspects of their lives and well-being. I am an assistant basketball coach on a county team that a colleague and I started four years ago. I go to other athletic events on the weekends and high school games during the week to support previous students. I tutor many of my previous students, may time free of charge, so that they can continue to grow academically. At the end of every school year, I hand write personalized good-bye cards to all of my 8th graders so they know how much I believe in them and their future success. I get many emails from my previous students with copies of papers they have scored well on, pictures of tests that they passed, or even just an update on their lives. I am currently helping some of my previous students study for the SAT’s and write college applications. I have never felt that a teacher’s job is complete when the student leave the classroom; our reach goes far beyond that.
