Shivan Persad (@MrPersad_BA) | #BowTieTuesday

Published by Bow Tie Joe on March 13, 2018March 13, 2018

Introduction: This week’s #BowTieTuesday Educator Spotlight goes to an educator that I met when I ventured into the world that is #EdCamp. Having the opportunity to chat while we organized #EdCampNJ alongside the other Edu-Rock stars, I recognized I was in the presence of a legend! The Edu-Rock Star that I’ll be recognizing this week is none other than Mr. Shivan Persad (@MrPersad_BA), a middle school social studies teacher and technology coordinator.

Educational Pursuit: Shivan is working his way towards the decade mark within education but possesses the wisdom of a 30-year veteran! He obtained a bachelor of science in Secondary Education from Seton Hall followed by a masters in Special Education from Montclair State and a master’s in the art of teaching in Social Studies from Columbia University.

Shivan recalls his middle and high school music teacher who showed the importance of guidance and compassion in teaching which spurred his desire to pursue a career in education. In addition, his11th-grade History teacher brought the subject alive. His teacher was fairly new to the field which allowed him to connect with Shivan and his peers, something that Shivan never forgets the significance of.

Most Memorable Moment: Shivan’s most memorable moment came when he entered his first EdCampNJ in Springfield. This event afforded him the opportunity to witness the energy and passion of other educators. It also gave him an opportunity to see what other educators are doing in their schools and classrooms, connect with other like-minded educators, and have open discussions about education. Sounds like Edutopia right? All of these experiences and conversations he brings back to his school and classroom to improve his organization and learning environment for his students.

Personal Learning Interests: An ongoing interest of Shivan’s is playing golf. Although he doesn’t consider himself on the same level as Jordan Spieth, he does know his way around a golf course. It’s a challenge to him and something he hopes to improve at doing.

That being said, I plan to join him on the links as I can absolutely relate to those feelings about golf!

The Fun Stuff

Shivan’s go-to Karaoke Song: While Shivan does not have a go-to karaoke song he does enjoy a good singalong to a good cover band. Keeping it Jersey, he admitted you can’t go wrong with Bruce or Bon Jovi (to which I concur).

Shivan’s Inside Scoop: Shivan really enjoys trying different foods; not necessarily exotic foods like crickets or things along that line, but foods from various cultures. Ramen and anything that can be contained in a Pita sounds good to him.

Thank you, Shivan, for your heartfelt efforts to improve education each and every day you step foot inside a classroom. Grateful to have crossed paths with you and I look forward to what’s to come during our #EdCampNJ journey! Thank you for having a positive impact on my PLN and I truly appreciate all that you do to keep moving education forward.