Mastic Beach, NY - May 5th, 2014 - Two William Floyd teachers, Kristen Drury and Christine Rosado, were named Master Teachers by New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo. They are among only 42 from the Long Island region and 319 from across New York State who will serve as teacher mentors charged with helping to support the next generation of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) educators.
According to Governor Cuomo’s announcement, Master Teachers will engage in peer mentoring and intensive content-oriented professional development opportunities throughout the academic year, work closely with pre-service and early-career teachers to foster a supportive environment for the next generation of STEM teachers and attend required regular cohort meetings and participate in and lead professional development sessions each year throughout the four-year program.
"The Master Teacher Program creates a community of teacher experts dedicated to providing a first-rate learning experience for students across New York, and contributes to our efforts to attract and retain the best and the brightest in our STEM classrooms," Governor Cuomo said. "Investing in our teachers is investing in our students, and I am pleased to welcome and congratulate those who have already proven to be some of the highest-performing professionals in their field."
William Floyd High School teachers Kristen Drury (chemistry and forensics) and Christine Rosado (algebra 2 and advanced placement calculus) expressed excitement and gratitude for being named among this prestigious list of New York State educators.
“It seems more and more students are intimidated by science, technology, and mathematics when they should be pursuing it as an in demand, exciting and rewarding future career path,” said Ms. Drury. “It is my job as a science teacher to help instill the values of STEM education and develop interest and inherent curiosity in our students.”
Ms. Rosado added, “The STEM disciplines are an essential part of our educational system and as STEM teachers we need to share our passion and use it to inspire and motivate our students in these areas. The Master Teacher program will give me an opportunity to further my own STEM knowledge and the correlation between the disciplines in order to become a more effective educator.”
Additionally, both Ms. Drury and Ms. Rosado believe that the Master Teacher Program will afford them the opportunity to share ideas and collaborate with a variety of teachers from other interdisciplinary subjects with similar goals of inspiring students and sharing their love of the STEM disciplines.
Pictured: William Floyd High School teachers Kristen Drury (left) and Christine Rosado were named New York State Master Teachers by Governor Andrew Cuomo.
