New York State Council Honors Freeport English Teacher

For 17 years, as a classroom teacher and Reading Specialist, Kathleen Bender has introduced hundreds of first-, second- and third-graders at Freeport’s Leo F. Giblyn School to the joys of reading. In recognition for what Giblyn Principal Harris Chandler called Ms. Bender’s influence in providing students "with the keys that unlocked the doors they needed to enter in their later grades," she was recently honored by both her peers and a state-wide organization for her efforts.

Along with colleagues and family, Bender traveled to Albany where she received a certificate and a pin from the New York State Council of English as an "Educator of Excellence" for 2005-06. Bender was one of only five elementary school English teachers in Nassau County so honored, and her award marked the first time a Freeport teacher received the honor.

The New York State Council of English is a 1,200-member affiliate of the prestigious National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE); president of the council is Linda McDowell, a teacher in the Lake George Elementary School.

"Teachers are nominated by their peer and colleagues," McDowell said. "Each teacher receiving the Council certificate and pin was specifically recommended and praised by others. This is what makes the selection as Educator of Excellence such a special honor."

Bender, a graduate of Villanova, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in education, and Hostra, where she earned her master’s degree in reading, said that she recalls many instances of turning students on to books. "I started a Third Grade Reading Club," she said. "We involve children who haven’t been enthusiastic about reading, and we turn them into readers."

Recalling her role in his educational development, 13-year-old Spencer Cammarano, a former student, wrote the Council, "You would leave her class with a smile on your face, more knowledge, and a feeling of self-worth."

In his letter recommending Bender, Giblyn Principal Chandler wrote to the Council: "Ms. Bender is the quintessential teacher of reading and English language arts as she somehow, by transmitting her exuberance, creates an excitement within her students for reading and writing."