Ivette Smorto's Page

About Me - What you should know about me...

I am a recent graduate of the New York City Teaching Fellows program in my third year of teaching. I am a sixth grade special education teacher working in the Ozone Park section of Queens, New York. Queens, New York is the most culturally diverse borough in all of New York City and probably the country from what I have learned in recent years. The Ozone Park section of Queens has a large diverse population with many residents being of Guyanese and Indian cultures. A smaller percentage are of hispanic and African American descent. Socioeconomically, the area's residents are mainly middle class working individuals. A large proportion are immigrants having moved to the United States within the last 10 years.
I am of Puerto Rican descent and was born in Brooklyn, New York. I was raised in Brooklyn and attended public schools. I have undergraduate degrees in Menatal Health and Behavioral Sciences; I've worked as a caseworker in the foster care/adoption system and have three children of my own. I am new to the world of using technology in my classroom and am immensely enjoying learning and collaborating with my colleagues to become a 21st century educator.

gender

female

What is your favorite food?

Sushi and Turkish cuisine, along with latin food of course.

What is your favorite type of music? Who is your favorite musician?

I enjoy all different types of music, lately becoming more interested in latin music.

What is your favorite place? why?

The beach is my favorite place to be because it is spiritually cleansing , relaxing and meditative. Having my feet in the sand, regardless of the season connects me to the Earth, the Sun to the sky and the ocean of course, to water.

What is your favorite holiday? why?

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because it centers around togetherness and sharing. It is a time for warmth, it occurs during a time of "goldening" and "oranging" of the earth and provides a "coming in out of the chill" for families to come full circle and be close with one another.

What do you teach?:

I teach social studies, english language arts and mathematics in a 12:1:1 self contained special education classroom.

Where do you teach?

MS137 - America's School of Heroes - Ozone Park, Queens, New YOrk

What would you advise others about teaching?

Be as well rounded as possible, be knowledgeable about what you teach, be flexible, relax and most of all, enjoy your students as people and learn from them. Know and accept you cannot change who they are, just what they know and believe you can affect them in a positive as well as a negative way. Choose to affect them positively.