“Being a Big Apple Fellow has given me the opportunity to learn more about myself as a teacher leader and aspiring school leader. The Fellowship Year experience is an exemplary model for adult learning. Through self-assessment, reading, workshops, group support, and reflection, I have been able to harness my strengths to become a more effective teacher leader. We are invested in authentic work that resonates with us personally, while also connecting us to the broader educational movement in our city.” – Katie Vitale, 2014-15 Fellow“The Big Apple Fellowship has been a humbling experience. Over the last ten months, there have been so many enriching experiences, but nothing has been more important than the development of a professional community of top-notch teachers. The best part about this community was that it didn’t end when the meeting ended. Through our online community, I had the luxury of having 11 expert teachers at my fingertips for any teaching advice I needed. The ability to work with colleagues from across the city and bounce ideas and information off of each other has been an absolute pleasure. Throughout our Big Apple Fellowship year, we used protocols to discuss best practices and situations we needed advice on. They have helped me grow as a teacher, but more importantly as a leader. In working with my fellow Big Apple Award recipients, I have had the opportunity to learn new things about the practice of teaching from professionals who have dedicated their lives to the children of our wonderful city.” – Joseph Pesqueira, 2014-15 Fellow “It was an honor to be a part of a select group of teachers with access to speak with Chancellor Carmen Fariña. We were given the opportunity to be part of a teaching panel, where Chancellor Fariña asked our opinions about policies, how we felt certain initiatives were working etc. Even more special, Chancellor Fariña told us of her missions as Chancellor, and gave us many tools to enrich our own school and teaching practices. Chancellor Fariña also gave us free time to speak with her about issues we were facing in our own teaching careers. Based on her long career in the Department of Education, she was able to give us valuable suggestions on how to troubleshoot problems that we faced. Meeting with Chancellor Farina was an amazing experience, because we were able to see that our leader was caring, knowledgeable, and had a strong and clear vision on how to enhance the educational system in New York. The time and wisdom given to us by Chancellor Fariña was unforgettable and a highlight of our Big Apple experience!” – 2014-15 Fellows, Group Reflection “My experience as a Big Apple Award Fellow has directly impacted my classroom and school community for two main reasons. The first one is that I have had the experience to listen and to interact with amazing educators whose passion for teaching is outstanding. By listening to their experience and by engaging in multiple professional developments with them, I have had the opportunity to grow as an educator and as a person. For example, during or PD with New York Peace Institute, I learned how I can deliver a message clearly. I learned to think about what I wanted to really say and how I could say it. This helped me deliver clearer messages or share my ideas in a clear and coherent manner. While facilitating a lesson, I thought about what was the goal I wanted our students to achieve and how they were going to achieve that goal. I also learned with our students what I learned to have them provide me feedback and how well they understood the lesson I was facilitating.” – Melissa Stoller, 2015-16 Fellow
See a sampling of the work done by past Big Apple Fellows during their Fellowship Year experienceReturn to the Big Apple Awards main page