Teaching duo Mark and Helen Levy love teaching at St. John’s School
of Education and say they both decided to pursue teaching
because of an innate desire to help others achieve and
succeed, “Teaching at St. John’s is wonderful because we get to
work with outstanding and caring educators and students.”
The husband and wife team teach several
undergraduate courses and believe that their collaborative
teaching style is a unique approach that engages students and
allows them to focus attention on more students, “I believe in
caring about the students and feel that this will help them
succeed. Caring about those you teach will lead to them to do
the same for those they teach” said Professor Helen Levy.
Recently, both professors were selected by the Queens campus Student
Government as Co-Outstanding Professors of the Year from The
School of Education. Mark and Helen believe one of the largest
benefits of teaching at St. John’s is the generous support from
administrators and faculty: “The administration and faculty in The
School of Education are the most caring professionals I have ever
met. They are always available to help students
with their educational decisions and personal life
situations. The values and ideals of the school make it a
wonderful place to grow as a person and educator; give back to the
young adults who want to become educators; and continue to
learn.”
The Levy’s both agree that future educators should always
encourage their students to think outside the box and set high
expectations for themselves, “Teachers should always promote
inquiry, have high expectations for students and generate thinking
by asking higher level questions. Additionally, always remember to
care about your students.”
Professor Mark Levy continues to serve as a model of effective
teaching strategies and is genuinely interested in the success of
his students. He believes this approach to teaching is the most
productive, “The School of Education graduates are the most
prepared and qualified teachers that I have seen in my years as an
educator.”