It may take years for a person to discover their true passion in
life. For Erin Gelb ’08GEd, an alumnae from St. John’s School of
Education, all it took was the right opportunity.
Erin attended St. Francis College in Brooklyn, NY and graduated
with a degree in biology, with the plans of becoming a medical
doctor. After years of preparing for medical school, Erin now
spends her days going over science lessons with middle school
students.
Erin is a biology teacher at New Day Academy, a public school in
the South Bronx. She says she discovered her love of teaching after
applying for a teaching position at her local high school, “I was
looking for a job after I graduated from college and my old high
school was looking to hire a new science teacher. I applied for the
position and fell in love with teaching.”
After she began teaching she never looked back, “I enjoy teaching
too much to give it up to go to medical school. I like working with
kids, and the gratification that comes from helping a child.” Erin
realized her true calling was to teach and enrolled in the Career
Change program at The School of Education to become a certified
teacher, “I chose St. John’s because of its reputation of having
one of the top education programs in New York City.”
Erin admits that going from the traditional educational setting of
college to hands-on practical learning experiences while she was in
graduate school was not easy, “It was challenging because I was
used to the lectures and tests I had in college, but the Career
Change program involved portfolios, assessments and mock school
situations. It was definitely something I had to get used
to.”
In 2006, Erin was featured in Who’s Who Among American
Teachers. She credits her St. John’s professors for giving her
the advice she needed to become a successful educator, “Advice from
my professors, especially those who were previously principals, was
very helpful to me and my career,” says Erin. By putting her
classroom experience into practice, Erin has successfully embarked
on a career in education, “I utilize everything I learned at St.
John’s to provide my students with the best education
possible.”
Where does Erin see herself in the next 10 years? “I see myself
continuing to work for the New York City Board of Education, going
back to school and becoming a principal. I teach because I love
building relationships with my students and there is nothing more
satisfying than seeing the look on a student’s face when they
understand something I have taught them.”