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 hopes of one
day becoming a physician. 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 f or a teaching position at her local high school. “I was
looking for a job after I graduated from college,” she said. “And
my old high school was looking to hire a new science teacher. I
applied for the position and the rest is history!”
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, 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 my career,”
says Erin. By putting her classroom experience into practice, Erin
has successfully embarked on a career in education, “Everyday I
implement what I learned at St. John’s to provide my students with
the best education possible.”