"By the time I am hired to work with a student, he/she has been having difficulty keeping pace for months; their confidence is broken down, and their frustration level high. How they add a solid hour of 1:1 with me, above their homework, extra curricula activities, and pressure to excel, is sometimes beyond me. But they do. They don't let their deflated egos stop them. Their pride and joy is so evident when the slightest bit of progress is made (so is mine!). This, to me, is making a difference in the life of a child."

— Susan (Back) Nicol, Private Tutor
Franklin, MA
SED'91, EdM

"I taught in grades 1-3 in Saugus Public Schools from 1967-1974, took seven years off for child rearing, and then went back to the classroom in Marblehead Public Schools from 1980-2004 (grades 1-3 and then was the Instructional Technology Specialist for the school system, servicing all classrooms K-12). I retired from public schools in 2004 and am now Adjunct Professor at Pine Manor College in Chestnut Hill, MA, teaching Intro. to Computers, PowerPoint, Excel, Access, Front Page, and Exploring Technology in the Classroom. This fall will be my fourth year at Pine Manor. I teach both f2f and online for Lesley University in the Masters Technology in Education Program (TIE). I have been at Lesley for more than four or five years, teaching Designing Curriculum that Integrates Technology. For the past two years, I have been Clinical Supervisor at Harvard Extension School for those students completing their practicum for Technology Licensure. I also continue to consult and run study groups in the Marblehead Schools for teachers training them how to use technology in the classroom.

"This all began with BU! I look back at my years at BU as most formative, challenging, and motivatating. I had four wonderful years at BU, not to mention fun, and truly believe it was at BU where I developed my intellectual and passion for life-long learning."

— Barbara Isenberg Schwartz, Adjunct Professor, Pine Manor College
Chestnut Hill, MA
SED'67, BS

"Studying elementary education and humanistic education prepared me for a lifetime of educational teaching and experiences. My studies at the School of Education also helped prepare me for motherhood—something I was not thinking about during college! I have four wonderful sons and now three stepsons. I believe understanding something about child development helps prepare you for the ups and downs of parenthood. I am grateful for my educational background everytime I step inside a classroom and teach.

— Deborah Katchko-Gray, Cantor (Clergy/Music Director),
Temple Shearith Israel
Ridgefield, CT
SED'79, BS

"I received a dual certification in Elementary Education and Special Education for Mild/Moderate Disabilities. I am currently teaching first grade in San Francisco after teaching my first year in the greater Boston area. SED prepared me for teaching by implementing student teaching into their required classes so early on in the experience. Had it not been for the numerous classroom experiences combined with the classes on campus, I feel the amount of growth and experience I gained as a future teacher was immensely greater than it would have been by simply attending classes. It has not only allowed me the opportunity to contact the teachers I student taught with when needed, but has more importantly allowed me to use information I gained while in those classrooms quite frequently when in my current classroom. I work with students learning English as a second language, and therefore believe I am making a difference with young students both academically and culturally in the classroom. As this school year comes to a close, I am greatly impressed by the personal growth each of the individuals in my class has shown throughout their year in first grade, and for many, in the United States."

— Megan Rompre, First Grade Teacher
San Francisco, CA
SED'05

"SED really prepared me for where I am today. I work in a private school that provides an English-medium education in a francophone country. Most of what I learned came from the field placements and CH300, and I have implemented many of the ideas that were taught in that course. I thoroughly enjoyed BU and look back on my time there very fondly."

— Naillah Munshi, Fourth Grade Teacher at a private school
Kinshasa, DRC, Africa
SED'05, BS

"When I finished my student teaching in December 1970, I was given a job in Waltham starting in January 1971. My plan was to teach for ten years and then to move on to the college level to work preparing future teachers. That didn't happen, so I started taking student teachers in to my classrooms. I loved teaching and training new teachers and taught mostly second grade. I spent a couple of years teaching third grade and two years teaching combination classes. I taught in three different schools in Waltham from 1971 until 2006.

"BU prepared me well for the diverse population of Waltham, MA. Bilingual children were always put into my class. I loved working with them. The open education that I was taught at BU translated well into the whole language approach and personalized education programs that later came along. I always tried to find creative ways to get the kids excited about learning. I had one boy who told me he didn't need to learn to read because he was going to be a truck driver. I went to the RMV, got a truck driver's manual, and we used that for his reading lessons. We also did truck driver math. I had another boy who wanted to be an entertainer. If he did his work each morning and didn't hurt himself or anyone else, he got to dance and sing for the kids at lunch time. If he had an exceptional morning, I brought the spot light (filmstrip projector) to the lunchroom. He ended up in the traveling production of the Nutcracker when he was in high school. Teaching is a noble profession and I loved it. I am thinking of going back to work part time in the fall. Being a teacher is what I am. It is not just a job."

— Pat Davis, 2nd and 3rd Grade Teacher
Waltham, MA
SED'71, BS

"SED helped prepare me through showing me that the field of education is ever changing and that as a teacher, it is important to be flexible no matter what, even in your day-to-day as an educator."

— Gregory Manzi, 5th Grade Teacher, Decker Elementary
Las Vegas, NV
SED'06
Information Greg's current project