Kids Discover loves our teachers! We are continuing our goal to honor the amazing educators within our community with another installment of Educator of the Month. For January, I’m so happy to introduce Nicole Paglia-Spinella, a Teacher of the Deaf and HOH in New Jersey.
What has your teaching career looked like?
After graduating from Boston College with a degree in Accounting, I started my Accounting Career over forty years ago working as an Auditor for a major CPA firm in NYC, was a Precious Metal Inventory Accountant, Accounting Manager for a number of Equipment Leasing Companies, and Medical Device Companies, and Credit Officer in Real Estate ventures for a leading Telecommunications company.
About seven years ago, I found myself in transition and started working as a Substitute Teacher for The Bergen County Special Services School district in Bergen County, New Jersey. This turned out to be a wonderful opportunity for me and helped me realize my dream job wish from long ago. As a kid, I dreamed of becoming a teacher and working with the Deaf and Hard of Hearing!
I have worked with a variety of special needs students from Preschool thru High School and have taken on the responsibility of a Long-Term Substitute planning all lesson plans and teaching a full complement of subjects and classes. Every child I teach is special and means the world to me! For about the past five years, I have been focusing on The Deaf and Hard of Hearing Primary (HIP) and Secondary programs (SHIP) offered by our school district in public schools in Bergen County, New Jersey. This is a premier program in Deaf and HOH education. I have had the honor of interacting with a host of outstanding students, educators, administrators, interpreters, and aides who support me with patience, friendship, and love every day. I have gotten to realize my dream of teaching, and I interact with the most engaging students in the Whole World!
Where do you teach now and what grade/subject?
Currently, I teach in Midland Park Junior and Senior High School in Midland Park, N. J., in our SHIP Secondary Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program. As a Long-Term Substitute Teacher, I have been currently covering classes since September 2021 for a Teacher of The Deaf on a Maternity Leave and teaching grades Seventh through Twelfth switching all classes every forty to sixty days in accordance with our changing state teaching mandates during The Pandemic.
How has your teaching experience changed in recent years?
I started actively teaching Preschool thru 12th grade for the past seven years in our Special Need’s programs thru Bergen County Special Services School district and Midland Park school’s Deaf and HOH (HIP and Ship) programs. I have been teaching at the Jr/ Sr High School level at this school since October of 2019 and have also taught virtually during the Pandemic for our extended summer program. Classes have included World and US History, English, Science, and Math. Many of our students are bilingual and at various reading levels and skills with American Sign
Language. Our brave and heroic teachers, interpreters, aides, and administrators have been teaching virtually and in-person since the Pandemic started affecting our schools in March 2020, and they put their lives on the line every day. They come to school every day and teach the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in masks— a special skill when you can’t see lips!!!! You can see that planning lesson plans for such a breath of topics, students with specific needs and grade levels, as well as engaging students in virtual classes on Google Classroom is a challenge!
How has Kids Discover impacted your students?
A few weeks ago, the best compliment I received was from a former student in my American History class who had studied everything about the various North American Indian Tribes. She was in a Main Stream English Class, which referenced an American novel comparing it to the Indian lifestyle and “Trail of Tears.” She was so excited that she could speak up in class and share all her knowledge of the subject from our original history class. She thanked me and was beaming! So was I!
What is your favorite feature or aspect of Kids Discover?
I love to utilize the insightful pictures, interactive exhibits, and impactful narratives in my classroom, adapting to changing learning environments and topics as my schedule changes. I know that I will utilize Kids Discover’s virtual classroom even more in the changing Covid/Pandemic virtual environment.
What do you love the most about teaching?
I love to easily introduce new topics to students and see the connections they make to our lessons thru visual prompts. I love when I see a “wow” or a smile on their faces when they connect to the material presented. I love to present practical information found in a book on a topic and supplemental information that makes our lesson come alive with added depth.
What are your hopes for the future of education?
That all students, regardless of their skill levels, can be excited and engaged in the classroom. I hope that we all have the strength and determination to continue involving our students in unexpected ways during our challenging pandemic lessons and that we all remain safe.
