Author: Janelle Davis

1. What is your background and what/where are you teaching now? Throughout my music career, I have always taught private lessons. I have a degree in performance from SUNY Oswego. The year after I graduated, I was asked to teach as an adjunct professor for the Oswego jazz lab group. I started getting asked to do things like teach music groups at CNY Pace. I did that for 10 years until the pandemic started. I ran music groups at Elmcrest Music Center. Then I started teaching in Auburn at Spotlight Studios. I started just filling in and then they asked…

1. What is your education background and what do you currently teach? I am a visual arts teacher for the North Syracuse Central School District. This year, I am teaching grades K-6 between Allen Road Elementary and Gillette Road Middle School. My first degree was not for teaching. I attended The College of Saint Rose, in Albany, graduating with a BFA in graphic design. I soon started a career in the Graphic Arts, eventually becoming the art director for a textbook publication company. I enjoyed what I was doing but knew I should have gone into art education to become a…

1.What is your teaching background and where are you teaching now? I live in Camillus with my three kids and husband, who is also a teacher. This will be my 21st year teaching! I currently teach second grade at the Onondaga Nation School, where I have also taught kindergarten and first grade. 2. Did you implement any new strategies during COVID-19 that you will keep moving forward? COVID has definitely been a trying time for my school, and for the Onondaga Nation in general. Both teachers and students have learned to adapt to online learning, as we were 100% virtual for…

1. How did you get into the education field and where are you now? I grew up in the education lifestyle. My mother was a teacher at Split Rock Elementary School. Even in high school, I would work at the Learning Center tutoring kids. When I graduated college in 2009, no one was hiring in Central New York, so I moved to Virginia where I taught fourth grade for four years. As soon as the West Genesee School District was hiring again, I started applying. I taught third grade at Onondaga Road Elementary for six years before working as a…

1. What is your education background and current role? I went to UNC Charlotte to obtain my Bachelor of Arts in Education with a Minor in English and Communications. I then attended Le Moyne College to get my Masters in Special Education in 2002 and Certificate of Advanced Study in 2009. I spent 12 years working in the Syracuse City School District where I taught every level in K-8, reading, and was also an instructional coach.  I came to Baldwinsville in 2011 as an Assistant Principal and took over Reynolds Elementary School as Principal since 2015.  This is my sixth…

1. What is your education background and where are you teaching now? I earned my undergrad at The College at Brockport in 2010. My certification is in Inclusive Childhood Education (elementary and special education). I currently teach sixth grade English Language Arts, AIS and AVID Elective at Lincoln Middle School. 2. Can you tell us a little about AVID? AVID is an acronym for Advancement Via Individual Determination. This is one of the district initiatives in the Syracuse City School District in our Henninger quadrant (the north side schools). The AVID Elective is an elective class that introduces information about…

1. What is your education background and where are you currently? I’ve been a member of the Liverpool community my entire life. I graduated from Liverpool High School in 1998 and taught in the district for 10 years before becoming the principal at Morgan Road Elementary School in 2012. Since taking this position, my focus has been on developing a climate and culture our community will be proud of while also being the best father I can be to my three daughters. 2. How is the school year different now from September 2020? When we started the school year in…

1. What is your teaching background and what do you currently teach? I have been a special education teacher since 2007. I currently teach in a fourth-grade inclusive co-taught classroom in the Baldwinsville Central School District. I currently have students that are in person each day, students that are attending school through a hybrid model and students that are fully remote. I feel very fortunate to teach in the same elementary school where my three children attend because I get sneak peeks at them thriving in their classrooms. In addition to teaching, I maintain a website, NicolesLearningLab.com, for special education teachers, run a…

1. What is your background and what do you teach? I went to Auburn Community College in Cayuga. I work at Cicero-North Syracuse High School as a teaching assistant to students with special needs. I also coach the varsity football team and field hockey. Other sports I have coached are track, lacrosse and basketball. I have worked with some of the top athletes in the country. I have worked with Special Olympics, done some motivational speaking and have written an autobiography. 2. You were recently been selected as the Claes Nobel Educator of Distinction by the National Society of High…

1. What is your background and what do you teach? I received my bachelor’s degree from SUNY Geneseo and continued on to Syracuse University to obtain my master’s. I am certified in special education. I taught mostly younger kids in the Syracuse City School District for 14 years. When I had my daughter, I took some time off from teaching. I decided to go back when she entered kindergarten. I saw that the West Genesee School District was hiring. I was hired and immediately felt like a part of the family. I teach ELA and math in a fifteen to…