By Kalleen Rose Ozanic
West Milford — Nicole Petrosillo is an educator at West Milford High School, where she teaches freshman honors and college preparatory English, as well as the journalism class.
She is an advisor of the National Honor Society, the poetry club, and the school newspaper, The Highland Echo.
In these positions, she is able to impart knowledge and wisdom to her students, and offers support and guidance to her students in her professional setting.
Petrosillo was named Passaic County Teacher of the Year in May of 2017 for the 2017-2018 school year due to this, as well as her unrivaled commitment to her work.
Rising above 23 other teachers, Petrosillo was selected as Passaic’s best.
Her profile was so competitive that she was in the running among seven finalists of her peers to be named the New Jersey Teacher of the Year.
She had aspirations not only for herself, but for teachers on the whole.
Her platform for the year In her platform as Teacher of the Year, Petrosillo “was addressing ... teacher attraction — drawing teachers to the field, teacher retention — keeping good teachers in the classroom.”
Skilled and qualified teachers maintaining employment, in addition to introducing these teachers to a new generation of students, is key to ensuring success and a healthy environment for both students and educators, she said.
This healthy environment is supported by a focus on “teacher and student wellness, and making sure there is a balance of real-life, experience-based, hands-on curriculum along with things like AP classes,” the high school teacher said.
These are all key methods to ensure that students are engaged and openly learning about new topics that will be beneficial later in life and aid students in developing real-world and professional skills, like communication, public speaking, and even professional behavior.
English is fundamentalEnglish is a fundamental course that strengthens language skills, which is paramount to professional endeavors.
To ensure that students are engaged in the classroom, Petrosillo tries to diversify classroom activities to ensure no two experiences in her classroom are the same.
“I like to think we never do the same thing twice,” she said.
To ensure different activities and classroom discourse, Petrosillo says that giving students choice and autonomy is important.
“Making everything student-centered keeps them engaged," the award-winning instructor said. "I try to mix it up and move constantly from whole class instruction, pair work, small group work, online discussion forums, student presentations, to engaging in...discussions.”
Make an impressionAllowing students control of their learning experience makes a lasting impression, she said.
Petrosillo advises all students to enter a situation with the attitude geared towards understanding the real-world value of what they are learning and taking charge of their education.
She believes in forming meaningful relationships with students that can last years. She knows that becoming comfortable and personable with a teacher is hard work, but that is what she is committed to doing, because “people are essentially all the same — we are seeking emotional connections with other people, hoping for people to notice us, to pay attention to us and to really see us.”
Petrosillo makes sure that her students are seen and heard, and always tries to show them the underlying themes of literature that allow them to form commonalities.
“I try to connect with students," she said. "When they know you truly care about them they are usually more motivated to produce quality work. I know every student may not love Shakespeare, but there are many themes in literature that apply to all of us ... Love, betrayal, courage, tackling our psychological demons, struggling with relationships of all kinds. These ideas are universal and connect all of us on a fundamentally human level. Finding something kids can relate to naturally encourages them.”
This encouragement and natural association to real-world experiences, in conjunction with autonomy in learning, are necessary for students to work hard and achieve goals.
Work ethic mattersPetrosillo encourages learners of all backgrounds to engage themselves in their work and put forth their best effort in order to elicit satisfactory results.
It doesn’t matter if you are an adult or a young student; only hard work brings reward.
A determined work ethic is most important to working hard and trying your best. Petrosillo believes that such a work ethic can be seen best in her journalism class. Her class produces the school newspaper, a “publication that goes not only to our student body but to our district and community.”
As a result, her dutiful reporters can directly see the effects of their hard work and dedication in their community, which is a major motivation for always producing one’s best work.
Petrosillo knows that “because the work in it reflects our work, we want to make sure that it is the best it can be. This is a great driving force in work ethic. It is important to make sure you are proud of your work; if not, try to do something differently.”
To have pride in one’s work and to be successful, Petrosillo advises high schools students to always work hard and be competitive with themselves.
“I think in today's society, something that is missing. Some people have grown accustomed to getting the trophy or getting the "A" just because—but that's not how life works. Eventually, you'll be competing against somebody else for something meaningful, and you need to make sure that you're giving it your best, most concerted effort,” Petrosillo said.
Petrosillo said she has been significantly influenced by her time as Teacher of the Year.
“ I think I've been afforded the opportunity to try new things and to take more risks and be more adventurous," she said. "I'm pushing myself more to have my students do more, and that means great things for all of us in the end.”
As Petrosillo’s time as Teacher of the Year came to a close in June, she has not lost her commitment to excellence and hard work in the classroom and is sure to support an engaging and embracing classroom in the future.