Chris Szalma (@clszalma78) | #BowTieTuesday
Introduction: This week’s #BowTieTuesday Educator Spotlight goes to an educator that I met in my first year as an educator and boy did we HIT IT OFF! The years have since flown by and I know that we will forever be connected by our love for education and doing the right thing. The Edu-Rock Star that I’ll be recognizing this week is none other than my brother from another, Mr. Christopher Szalma (@clszalma78), a high school special education mathematics teacher at Pemberton High School.
Educational Pursuit: Chris has eclipsed the one decade mark in education after first entering the Marines out of high school. He obtained a Bachelors in Math and Secondary Education from Monmouth University in addition to his Masters in Special Education from Rowan University. After exiting the Corps, Chris worked many jobs and it wasn’t until the birth of his daughter that he decided that he needed a career. Similar to his reason for joining the Marines, Chris became a math teacher because of the challenge it posed with the current viewpoint it has with students and he wanted to change the way students felt about learning mathematics.
Most Memorable Moment: Every time Chris thinks there is a most memorable moment of his career, another moment comes along and surpasses it.
Academically, having students that absolutely despised mathematics only to turn around at the end of the year and say “it’s not my favorite class, but it’s not my least favorite class anymore” is a victory that validates his efforts in the classroom.
From a different lens, serving as a class advisor for the Class of 2017 was not only an exhilarating but humbling experience. Witnessing the personal growth students make as they mature and develop throughout high school is truly rewarding. Chris encourages everyone that reads this post to participate in their school community as an extracurricular advisor at least one time. Time outside of the classroom spent fundraising, organizing prom, and attending graduation are definitely memories that will last a lifetime.
Personal Learning Interests: Chris is always looking to develop innovative ways to reach students that have shown an aversion to the idea of education and have given up on school. He makes it his personal mission to ensure these students are given the tools to be successful not only in his classroom but in life as a contributing member of their community and our society.
The Fun Stuff
Chris’s go-to Karaoke Song: Big Poppa by Notorious B.I.G.
Chris’s Inside Scoop: Chris is an avid baseball and football card collector. He owns every Hess truck since the year he was born. No, he does not have a hoarding problem!
Thank you, Chris, for your heartfelt efforts to improve education each and every day you step foot inside a classroom. It’s been a strange transition not clowning around in the hallways with you and changing the game together this year but I am grateful that we still remain in touch and for the profound impact you have had on my personal life and PLN! You will always be the OG TWINNIE! I truly appreciate all that you do to keep moving education forward.
Thanks for reading and sharing!
Bow-Tie Joe
