My Autobiography - 2016 Version
Situated between two of the most affluent cities in one of the most exclusive and expensive counties to reside in North America lies a small-town - better yet a village - in the suburbs of New York City. Less-than a 20 miles from Manhattan, my hometown of Port Chester is by no means anything like it’s neighbors. Westchester County is known in many circles as “Willie-white-Westchester.” Port Chester is the ying to the rest of the county’s yang.
I grew up in this village of only 2 square miles, in which the population was as diverse as most urban centers. However, it wasn’t always that way. Prior generations (including my parents and grandparents) would classify PC as a typical Italian-American, strictly Catholic, family-oriented, pride-filled place to live. In my early-years, I had a very similar perspective. I knew mostly Italians, everyone (except for my best-friend and a few others) got out of elementary school two-hours early and went to CCD every Thursday afternoon to study Catholicism (yes, we were bused and the district paid for it), and it seemed like everywhere I went with my family we were well known throughout the community. Restaurants, delis, diners, bakeries, grocery stores, and shopping centers were predominantly family-owned. There were pockets of the village that “certain” people frequented more than others, but the 1980’s in PCNY were a time of fun and excitement.
In my circles of elementary school, you were either a King Street, Park Avenue, or Catholic-school kid – Edison and Kennedy kids were not as well known. As I got into middle school you were either a CYP/Elks or Don Bosco Center (The Don’s) kid, like me. Both were community centers that rivaled each other in youth sports, summer camps, and in catholic churchgoers – CYP kids typically attended Corpus Christi while Don’s kids often went to Holy Rosary (although I was a Corpus Christi kid). The rivalry was fun for me as I played football, baseball, and basketball for The Don’s and took great pride in defeating the CYP/Elks teams in each sport – despite the fact that many of my good friends, including my best friend, were foes. Moreover, what made this rivalry special to me was the fact that The Don’s consisted mostly of minority children, mainly African-American and Hispanic, along with a handful of “white boys” like myself. My parents and family volunteered there and, even throughout high school, I became a valued member of the community center as I coached basketball and tutored many of the children. I even had my wedding shower at The Don’s.
My elementary, middle and high school career was filled with interactions across all cultures, races and ethnicities. Port Chester did not show discrimination (at least I didn’t see it) and I rarely saw that color did not matter to others nor did it matter to me. My parents instilled in me the belief that we all need each other to grow and evolve into the people we should be in order for our community to work. Rarely did I ever make a decision of where I went or whom I hung out with based on racial differences. As the 1980’s gave way to the 1990’s, to me, we were all PC Rams and that’s all that mattered! In high school, I knew everyone and they all knew me. We all grew-up together, from elementary to high school. We knew each others families and rallied for each other through thick and thin. Locker rooms were not divided, classrooms did not need to teach diversity, and hanging out was just being a part of PC life. Black and white did not occur to me – we were all blue and silver.
In fact, the first time I realized that there were differences amongst us was when I was a senior in high school. Imagine that! It was 1993 - I was 17 years old and was on a Peer Leadership retreat for a very exclusive, ethnically diverse group of senior boys and girls. We had a fairly easy challenge presented us – to pick our co-leader for the school year. This co-leader tandem would lead weekly classes for freshmen getting acclimated to the world of a high school student. Our classes would focus on the daily challenges that many underclassmen face as they transition from middle to high school in academic and social arenas. Now, to say that the task to select a co-leader would take only a few minutes is an understatement. Out of the 24 of us, 14 had no problem completing the task. However, for a select 10 – one of which was me – this process took hours and expended many tears. It came down to the simple fact that, despite us all having PC Pride, some of us could not fathom traveling “across the tracks to the projects” to work with our two African-American and one Hispanic classmate! No matter how many combinations we tried, someone would either object to their co-leader or the two African-American classmates would end up being together – something that was not embraced by our program directors and certainly would not represent the diversity of our PLG vision. Finally, after all of those hours and all of those tears, guess who made the first move to breakdown these barriers and indecision? Yes – good guess – it was me. I could not understand what it was that I didn’t realize throughout these “negotiations” – we are all there to make a difference in our community, in our school, with those who need us to navigate through the first real phase of life. I was proud to look Ana, my Hispanic-heritage co-leader, in the eye and tell her that I would be there alongside her to give our group of freshmen the best experience they could ever have in PLG. My best friend, Scott, looked Lataefa, his new co-leader in the eye and made that same pledge. It was the first time I realized that ethnic and racial differences were real and this moment in my life would shape and define my outlook on all aspects of my own future.
I carried that moment into my life through graduation in ‘94 and to the University of South Florida. I moved 1200 miles away from the only world that I knew to begin the next chapter. I came to Tampa with two suitcases filled with memories of the past, a VCR (for those of you too young to know what that is – a Video Cassette Recorder), my Sega Genesis, and visions of being a teacher. I knew only the values instilled in me from PC and had to really figure out the rest on my own.
I’ll never forget the first day of the rest of my life. My parents left me in my dorm room to return to PC on a Wednesday in August – 5 days before the fall semester began – and I stared at my walls and began to question my decision to leave NY. What was I doing here? I know no one. I went from the guy that everyone knew for 13 years to a random stranger with a think New York/Italian accent. I wasn’t playing sports in college – a decision I made to come to USF, despite scholarship offers from other universities. I wanted to focus on my future as an educator. USF had the top college of education in the state of Florida and was a top-5 nationally recognized program for teachers. Why wouldn’t I want to be here? Still, I missed my family and friends dearly. Then, I got a knock on my door and I met another lost soul from the northeast, this Philly-kid named Jeff. He told me about a party going on in the RA’s room and asked if I wanted to go. Of course, I went. I’m still me and if there were going to be music, dancing, and girls I am there! There I met a ton of people just like me, not physically, but idealists with a desire to do more in this world. Guys and girls alike, from all over the world, without discrimination, just partying like it was 1999 (although it was 1994). Immediately, I realized why I was here at USF – no, not to party, although that was fun too – but to make my stake on the world through my passion and desire to shape children to live their lives without color and without hate. I am here to take my experiences and formulate a generation (or two or three, hopefully) of kids who become adults in our society that have value, dignity and respect for all of humanity. Those who see the best in people and who genuinely care for each other.
My years at USF went by like a blur – I gained hundreds of friendships with my Sigma Nu fraternity brothers, as well as throughout the Greek System; I navigated through relationships, ultimately leading me to meet my soul-mate (my wife, Amanda) in 1996 in the Marshall Center studying for final exams and 18-months later getting engaged two-weeks before graduation; and finally my fall internship and then graduating from USF in 1998 with a B.S. in Education. Throughout those years, I suffered through a major car accident, which almost ended my life. I jumped from job to job to pay for my schooling and social life. I saw the first ever USF football game. I lost one of my best friends - a brother to me - who was brutally murdered in New York City a week before his 21st birthday – who I named my son after and still honor every day of my life. I was the first two-time Inter-fraternity Council President in USF history. My time at USF was a roller coaster – many highs, many lows, lots of twists and turns, and as mentioned before, a few flips over my head.
And then…the real world. My first job out of college was as a 7th grade Geography substitute teacher in Odessa, FL for a teacher on maternity leave. The job was temporary, but the principal (who later became a district assistant superintendent) kept me on as a permanent substitute so I could coach basketball at the school and allowed me to grow my understanding of life as a Hillsborough County employee. Again, another life-changing moment occurred. It was the end of the school year and I was certain the principal would hire me for a vacant 8th grade American History position for the next school year. As the buses pulled-out of the parking lot and we stood there waving goodbye to the kids, I approached my principal to discuss the next school year. She turned to me and for the first time I felt discriminated against! As she explained to me “well, we have this quota we have to meet and I need to hire a black male teacher. We really enjoyed having you here, but there is nothing I can do.” Yup – reality – welcome to the teaching profession? Welcome to Hillsborough County?
I spent the entire summer trying to forget about that conversation and went back to my roots – love, don’t hate, be the bigger man! I converted this event to a life-lesson. Ironically, I received a phone call towards the end of summer break from the principal of Robinson High School, a predominantly African-American community school in South Tampa, to interview for a social studies and coaching position. Within 30 minutes of the interview, she was showing me my classroom, introducing me to the football coaching staff and my department head, and handed me my classroom keys. This school, “SOG” (South of Gandy) was the best place for me to truly begin my career! After my first year, I got married. After the following year (my second full year) I decided to begin my master’s program in Educational Leadership (which I completed in less than 18 months). The best parts about Robinson High School were that teachers rarely transferred out, students were very respectful (despite their reputation), administration was supportive, and I saw RHS and my Knights family as my beloved PCHS south! My students transformed me and I grew a Psychology program from one semester-long course into a three-course per day per semester juggernaut (we were on block-scheduling in which we taught three 90-minute classes per day)! When I left four years later, the school was ready to add an AP course and had students on a waiting list to get into my other courses. The outside of the school was not nearly as representative as the inside of the school – just like my Robinson students who should’ve never been judged by where they lived and what they looked like, but by the moral fiber within their hearts, minds and souls.
After Robinson, I took my teaching tools with me to the eastern-part of the county where I taught middle school (8th grade American History) for one year (and welcomed a new addition to our family – my daughter Madelyn) before transferring to Newsome High School to teach AP Macro and Micro Economics, as well as a few honors economics courses. The interesting part of being at Newsome were the professional relationships I developed and the impact that I could have on a different community of students – those who I envied growing up because of how affluent they were, but whom I felt I had a better life than because I learned to embrace diversity. It was at this time that I knew I needed more professionally. I was getting frustrated as I interviewed for Assistant Principal positions. I knew I had to find a way to differentiate myself from all of the other applicants.
I began my doctoral work in Organizational Leadership during my first year at Newsome and worked tirelessly, over the course of my three years there, to grow professionally and transform into the true educational leader I wanted to become. It was during this time in which I faced my next life-changing moment. With the birth of my son and without any progression in my pursuit of becoming a middle or high school Assistant Principal, I knew I needed to make a change. During class one day one of my doctoral cohort classmates asked me if I’d be interested in job shadowing her at an elementary magnet school in Plant City. She was already the Assistant Principal there and saw something in me that shouted leadership to her. As I walked around the school, students asked her if I was the President of the United States or the Superintendent (I was wearing a suit and tie) or her husband. Seeing these kids brought a smile to my face. Then, as I walked into a Kindergarten classroom I saw one of the most amazing sites that completely shifted my professional focus. The students were on the carpet (foreign to me as a secondary teacher) counting money. They were simply identifying the differences between bills and change and the value that each held. The lights were off in the room with only the emergency light illuminated overhead. However, and I swear that my eyes saw this, the room literally got brighter as they learned about the concepts of money. I was dumbfounded! How did I miss this calling? As we walked back to the office I explained to my classmate what I saw. She told me that elementary school is where I should be and that she would help me see that vision come to fruition. Not only did she come through with that promise, but she made that call to me as soon as she became principal at a performing arts elementary magnet school in Ybor City. She offered me any teaching position I wanted and assured me that she would help me reach my goal of becoming an elementary school administrator.
We both completed our doctoral work and worked alongside each other the next school year. The school welcomed a diverse group of students, which mirrored my RHS population. I opened myself up to the performing arts, and more importantly, the world of elementary school. I gained valuable leadership experience, become Dr. Summa, and quickly assimilated into the culture of Philip Shore. Unfortunately, a half-a-year later, the principal was administratively transferred and my time at Philip Shore lasted only another 18 months. I became a recognizable school leader amongst my peers and did take away many skills, techniques, and tools to my next position at Symmes Elementary in Riverview. It was here in which my next life-altering interaction occurred. After a wild first year at Symmes – the principal retired and the staff was completely “rocking” – I met my guardian angel in the new principal. She and I had the same vision and mission for the school. We had plans and direction and wanted to create a culture and climate that shifted from “rockin’ and rollin’” to strong and stable. She believed that I was her partner in educational leadership and we could move our students and our school to great heights. She was my biggest advocate when I went on administrative interviews (as well as a strong recommendation for me to be accepted into the first cohort of Future Leaders Academy in the district’s principal pipeline) and was a catalyst in my first administrative position – a move after two and a half-years to Cypress Creek Elementary in Ruskin as an Administrative Resource Teacher (in other terms, a second Assistant Principal).
My role at Cypress Creek was to (once again) shift the climate of a culturally diverse population and move the school in an upward progression. The nearly 75% Hispanic population with an average retention rate of two-years below grade-age level was at stake. We needed a paradigm shift in learning, management, and focus. My two and a half-years at Cypress Creek were filled with changes in behavior management systems, cafeteria procedures, specials schedules and curriculum expectations. My time at Cypress Creek as a member of the leadership team prepared me to take my next step in my career – re-establishing my goal reflected in my doctoral dissertation: having an effect on the preparation of new teachers to the education field.
I have come full-circle. Back to USF. Back to my roots. Back to my love, my passion, and my desire. I have spent the past two years, as a Partnership Resource Teacher, immersed in my purpose – to have the opportunity to bring out the best in those who wish to bring out the best in generations to come! I cannot ask for anything more than to have my dreams come true every day. I have been transformed once again – and it feels so amazing!
I grew up in this village of only 2 square miles, in which the population was as diverse as most urban centers. However, it wasn’t always that way. Prior generations (including my parents and grandparents) would classify PC as a typical Italian-American, strictly Catholic, family-oriented, pride-filled place to live. In my early-years, I had a very similar perspective. I knew mostly Italians, everyone (except for my best-friend and a few others) got out of elementary school two-hours early and went to CCD every Thursday afternoon to study Catholicism (yes, we were bused and the district paid for it), and it seemed like everywhere I went with my family we were well known throughout the community. Restaurants, delis, diners, bakeries, grocery stores, and shopping centers were predominantly family-owned. There were pockets of the village that “certain” people frequented more than others, but the 1980’s in PCNY were a time of fun and excitement.
In my circles of elementary school, you were either a King Street, Park Avenue, or Catholic-school kid – Edison and Kennedy kids were not as well known. As I got into middle school you were either a CYP/Elks or Don Bosco Center (The Don’s) kid, like me. Both were community centers that rivaled each other in youth sports, summer camps, and in catholic churchgoers – CYP kids typically attended Corpus Christi while Don’s kids often went to Holy Rosary (although I was a Corpus Christi kid). The rivalry was fun for me as I played football, baseball, and basketball for The Don’s and took great pride in defeating the CYP/Elks teams in each sport – despite the fact that many of my good friends, including my best friend, were foes. Moreover, what made this rivalry special to me was the fact that The Don’s consisted mostly of minority children, mainly African-American and Hispanic, along with a handful of “white boys” like myself. My parents and family volunteered there and, even throughout high school, I became a valued member of the community center as I coached basketball and tutored many of the children. I even had my wedding shower at The Don’s.
My elementary, middle and high school career was filled with interactions across all cultures, races and ethnicities. Port Chester did not show discrimination (at least I didn’t see it) and I rarely saw that color did not matter to others nor did it matter to me. My parents instilled in me the belief that we all need each other to grow and evolve into the people we should be in order for our community to work. Rarely did I ever make a decision of where I went or whom I hung out with based on racial differences. As the 1980’s gave way to the 1990’s, to me, we were all PC Rams and that’s all that mattered! In high school, I knew everyone and they all knew me. We all grew-up together, from elementary to high school. We knew each others families and rallied for each other through thick and thin. Locker rooms were not divided, classrooms did not need to teach diversity, and hanging out was just being a part of PC life. Black and white did not occur to me – we were all blue and silver.
In fact, the first time I realized that there were differences amongst us was when I was a senior in high school. Imagine that! It was 1993 - I was 17 years old and was on a Peer Leadership retreat for a very exclusive, ethnically diverse group of senior boys and girls. We had a fairly easy challenge presented us – to pick our co-leader for the school year. This co-leader tandem would lead weekly classes for freshmen getting acclimated to the world of a high school student. Our classes would focus on the daily challenges that many underclassmen face as they transition from middle to high school in academic and social arenas. Now, to say that the task to select a co-leader would take only a few minutes is an understatement. Out of the 24 of us, 14 had no problem completing the task. However, for a select 10 – one of which was me – this process took hours and expended many tears. It came down to the simple fact that, despite us all having PC Pride, some of us could not fathom traveling “across the tracks to the projects” to work with our two African-American and one Hispanic classmate! No matter how many combinations we tried, someone would either object to their co-leader or the two African-American classmates would end up being together – something that was not embraced by our program directors and certainly would not represent the diversity of our PLG vision. Finally, after all of those hours and all of those tears, guess who made the first move to breakdown these barriers and indecision? Yes – good guess – it was me. I could not understand what it was that I didn’t realize throughout these “negotiations” – we are all there to make a difference in our community, in our school, with those who need us to navigate through the first real phase of life. I was proud to look Ana, my Hispanic-heritage co-leader, in the eye and tell her that I would be there alongside her to give our group of freshmen the best experience they could ever have in PLG. My best friend, Scott, looked Lataefa, his new co-leader in the eye and made that same pledge. It was the first time I realized that ethnic and racial differences were real and this moment in my life would shape and define my outlook on all aspects of my own future.
I carried that moment into my life through graduation in ‘94 and to the University of South Florida. I moved 1200 miles away from the only world that I knew to begin the next chapter. I came to Tampa with two suitcases filled with memories of the past, a VCR (for those of you too young to know what that is – a Video Cassette Recorder), my Sega Genesis, and visions of being a teacher. I knew only the values instilled in me from PC and had to really figure out the rest on my own.
I’ll never forget the first day of the rest of my life. My parents left me in my dorm room to return to PC on a Wednesday in August – 5 days before the fall semester began – and I stared at my walls and began to question my decision to leave NY. What was I doing here? I know no one. I went from the guy that everyone knew for 13 years to a random stranger with a think New York/Italian accent. I wasn’t playing sports in college – a decision I made to come to USF, despite scholarship offers from other universities. I wanted to focus on my future as an educator. USF had the top college of education in the state of Florida and was a top-5 nationally recognized program for teachers. Why wouldn’t I want to be here? Still, I missed my family and friends dearly. Then, I got a knock on my door and I met another lost soul from the northeast, this Philly-kid named Jeff. He told me about a party going on in the RA’s room and asked if I wanted to go. Of course, I went. I’m still me and if there were going to be music, dancing, and girls I am there! There I met a ton of people just like me, not physically, but idealists with a desire to do more in this world. Guys and girls alike, from all over the world, without discrimination, just partying like it was 1999 (although it was 1994). Immediately, I realized why I was here at USF – no, not to party, although that was fun too – but to make my stake on the world through my passion and desire to shape children to live their lives without color and without hate. I am here to take my experiences and formulate a generation (or two or three, hopefully) of kids who become adults in our society that have value, dignity and respect for all of humanity. Those who see the best in people and who genuinely care for each other.
My years at USF went by like a blur – I gained hundreds of friendships with my Sigma Nu fraternity brothers, as well as throughout the Greek System; I navigated through relationships, ultimately leading me to meet my soul-mate (my wife, Amanda) in 1996 in the Marshall Center studying for final exams and 18-months later getting engaged two-weeks before graduation; and finally my fall internship and then graduating from USF in 1998 with a B.S. in Education. Throughout those years, I suffered through a major car accident, which almost ended my life. I jumped from job to job to pay for my schooling and social life. I saw the first ever USF football game. I lost one of my best friends - a brother to me - who was brutally murdered in New York City a week before his 21st birthday – who I named my son after and still honor every day of my life. I was the first two-time Inter-fraternity Council President in USF history. My time at USF was a roller coaster – many highs, many lows, lots of twists and turns, and as mentioned before, a few flips over my head.
And then…the real world. My first job out of college was as a 7th grade Geography substitute teacher in Odessa, FL for a teacher on maternity leave. The job was temporary, but the principal (who later became a district assistant superintendent) kept me on as a permanent substitute so I could coach basketball at the school and allowed me to grow my understanding of life as a Hillsborough County employee. Again, another life-changing moment occurred. It was the end of the school year and I was certain the principal would hire me for a vacant 8th grade American History position for the next school year. As the buses pulled-out of the parking lot and we stood there waving goodbye to the kids, I approached my principal to discuss the next school year. She turned to me and for the first time I felt discriminated against! As she explained to me “well, we have this quota we have to meet and I need to hire a black male teacher. We really enjoyed having you here, but there is nothing I can do.” Yup – reality – welcome to the teaching profession? Welcome to Hillsborough County?
I spent the entire summer trying to forget about that conversation and went back to my roots – love, don’t hate, be the bigger man! I converted this event to a life-lesson. Ironically, I received a phone call towards the end of summer break from the principal of Robinson High School, a predominantly African-American community school in South Tampa, to interview for a social studies and coaching position. Within 30 minutes of the interview, she was showing me my classroom, introducing me to the football coaching staff and my department head, and handed me my classroom keys. This school, “SOG” (South of Gandy) was the best place for me to truly begin my career! After my first year, I got married. After the following year (my second full year) I decided to begin my master’s program in Educational Leadership (which I completed in less than 18 months). The best parts about Robinson High School were that teachers rarely transferred out, students were very respectful (despite their reputation), administration was supportive, and I saw RHS and my Knights family as my beloved PCHS south! My students transformed me and I grew a Psychology program from one semester-long course into a three-course per day per semester juggernaut (we were on block-scheduling in which we taught three 90-minute classes per day)! When I left four years later, the school was ready to add an AP course and had students on a waiting list to get into my other courses. The outside of the school was not nearly as representative as the inside of the school – just like my Robinson students who should’ve never been judged by where they lived and what they looked like, but by the moral fiber within their hearts, minds and souls.
After Robinson, I took my teaching tools with me to the eastern-part of the county where I taught middle school (8th grade American History) for one year (and welcomed a new addition to our family – my daughter Madelyn) before transferring to Newsome High School to teach AP Macro and Micro Economics, as well as a few honors economics courses. The interesting part of being at Newsome were the professional relationships I developed and the impact that I could have on a different community of students – those who I envied growing up because of how affluent they were, but whom I felt I had a better life than because I learned to embrace diversity. It was at this time that I knew I needed more professionally. I was getting frustrated as I interviewed for Assistant Principal positions. I knew I had to find a way to differentiate myself from all of the other applicants.
I began my doctoral work in Organizational Leadership during my first year at Newsome and worked tirelessly, over the course of my three years there, to grow professionally and transform into the true educational leader I wanted to become. It was during this time in which I faced my next life-changing moment. With the birth of my son and without any progression in my pursuit of becoming a middle or high school Assistant Principal, I knew I needed to make a change. During class one day one of my doctoral cohort classmates asked me if I’d be interested in job shadowing her at an elementary magnet school in Plant City. She was already the Assistant Principal there and saw something in me that shouted leadership to her. As I walked around the school, students asked her if I was the President of the United States or the Superintendent (I was wearing a suit and tie) or her husband. Seeing these kids brought a smile to my face. Then, as I walked into a Kindergarten classroom I saw one of the most amazing sites that completely shifted my professional focus. The students were on the carpet (foreign to me as a secondary teacher) counting money. They were simply identifying the differences between bills and change and the value that each held. The lights were off in the room with only the emergency light illuminated overhead. However, and I swear that my eyes saw this, the room literally got brighter as they learned about the concepts of money. I was dumbfounded! How did I miss this calling? As we walked back to the office I explained to my classmate what I saw. She told me that elementary school is where I should be and that she would help me see that vision come to fruition. Not only did she come through with that promise, but she made that call to me as soon as she became principal at a performing arts elementary magnet school in Ybor City. She offered me any teaching position I wanted and assured me that she would help me reach my goal of becoming an elementary school administrator.
We both completed our doctoral work and worked alongside each other the next school year. The school welcomed a diverse group of students, which mirrored my RHS population. I opened myself up to the performing arts, and more importantly, the world of elementary school. I gained valuable leadership experience, become Dr. Summa, and quickly assimilated into the culture of Philip Shore. Unfortunately, a half-a-year later, the principal was administratively transferred and my time at Philip Shore lasted only another 18 months. I became a recognizable school leader amongst my peers and did take away many skills, techniques, and tools to my next position at Symmes Elementary in Riverview. It was here in which my next life-altering interaction occurred. After a wild first year at Symmes – the principal retired and the staff was completely “rocking” – I met my guardian angel in the new principal. She and I had the same vision and mission for the school. We had plans and direction and wanted to create a culture and climate that shifted from “rockin’ and rollin’” to strong and stable. She believed that I was her partner in educational leadership and we could move our students and our school to great heights. She was my biggest advocate when I went on administrative interviews (as well as a strong recommendation for me to be accepted into the first cohort of Future Leaders Academy in the district’s principal pipeline) and was a catalyst in my first administrative position – a move after two and a half-years to Cypress Creek Elementary in Ruskin as an Administrative Resource Teacher (in other terms, a second Assistant Principal).
My role at Cypress Creek was to (once again) shift the climate of a culturally diverse population and move the school in an upward progression. The nearly 75% Hispanic population with an average retention rate of two-years below grade-age level was at stake. We needed a paradigm shift in learning, management, and focus. My two and a half-years at Cypress Creek were filled with changes in behavior management systems, cafeteria procedures, specials schedules and curriculum expectations. My time at Cypress Creek as a member of the leadership team prepared me to take my next step in my career – re-establishing my goal reflected in my doctoral dissertation: having an effect on the preparation of new teachers to the education field.
I have come full-circle. Back to USF. Back to my roots. Back to my love, my passion, and my desire. I have spent the past two years, as a Partnership Resource Teacher, immersed in my purpose – to have the opportunity to bring out the best in those who wish to bring out the best in generations to come! I cannot ask for anything more than to have my dreams come true every day. I have been transformed once again – and it feels so amazing!
A Letter to My UTRPP Residents
August 1, 2014
Welcome Residents!
My name is Dr. Marc J. Summa and I am your 2014-2015 Partnership Resource Teacher (PRT) at Pizzo Elementary and MOSI Partnership School! I am very excited to get started in preparing you for your Final Year Residency and pending graduation from the University of South Florida - all leading to an elementary school instructional position and a life-long career in education! In the section below, I want to take a few moments to introduce myself and give you some background information about my educational experience.
I am originally from Port Chester, NY (about 15 miles from New York City) and moved to Tampa in 1994 to attend the University of South Florida. At USF, I became a brother in Sigma Nu fraternity where I was involved in executive board and intramural sports. I also was the Inter-fraternity Council (IFC) President for two years. I completed my internship at Burnett Middle School in Seffner and graduated from USF with a B.S. in Social Sciences Education in 1998.
In 1999, I was immediately hired in the School District of Hillsborough County as a middle school Social Studies teacher at Walker Middle School in Odessa. The following year, I moved to Robinson High School in South Tampa and began teaching Psychology, Economics and World History, as well as coaching football and softball.
I got married to my wife, Amanda, on May 27, 2000 and moved to FishHawk Ranch in Lithia in June 2001. I began my Master's program in 2001 at Nova Southeastern University and earned my M.S. in Educational Leadership in 2003. In the fall of 2003, I helped open Mulrennan Middle School in Valrico and taught one year of eighth grade American History, while coaching basketball and flag football.
In 2004, my daughter Madelyn was born and I began my Doctoral program at Nova Southeastern University, prompting me to move to teach at a school closer to home. That fall, I started teaching Advanced Placement Macro and Micro Economics at Newsome High School in Lithia, while working on my dissertation for my doctoral work. I stayed at Newsome for three years and, by the grace of tremendous timing, in 2007, after my son Daniel was born, was asked to take a chance and teach 5th grade at Philip Shore Elementary Magnet School of the Arts in Ybor City. I gained much of my initial elementary instructional and administrative experience at Philip Shore, and, within my first year there, earned my Doctorate in Organizational Leadership.
After the 2009 school year ended, I again made the decision to transfer, this time to teach 5th grade at Symmes Elementary in Riverview. It was at Symmes where I was no only able to expand my administrative experience, but was able to provide growth and support for teachers throughout the school and truly became an effective teacher and leader. My principal at Symmes was (and still is today) a tremendous proponent of mine, and, in early 2012 recommended me to a colleague of hers to become the Administrative Resource Teacher (ART) at Cypress Creek Elementary in Ruskin. I was appointed by the school board and began my work as the ART. Several of my responsibilities included: coordinating evaluation and testing; leading the School Advisory Committee (SAC) as chairman; developing school-wide classroom management and behavior management programs: creating school-wide classroom, specials and lunchroom schedules; directing the Parent Involvement Program; and ensuring compliance for both Title I and STAR schools. Over two and a half years at Cypress Creek, I was able to work with over one hundred faculty and staff members, hundreds of parents and close to 2000 students.
Throughout my fifteen-plus years in the school district, I have been fortunate enough to be a part of outstanding faculties, worked for amazing administrators, and have developed friendships with hundreds of colleagues.
I do want you to know one more thing - I love teaching! I love the students, the parents, the faculty and staff members, and even the administrators! I love having the ability to have a positive effect on another person that, if not for my place in education, may not have occurred. It's that interaction, that relationship, that passion and drive and excitement which makes us, as educators, different from every other profession on the planet. You have to love the fact that you really do make a difference in a person(s) life on a daily basis!
I'll leave you with this quote that I developed throughout my years of teaching and one in which I have been posting in my classroom for years:
"The choice you make today will impact someone, somewhere, somehow, someway, that you may have never met in anyway, before you began this important day!" - Marc J. Summa, Ed.D
Best wishes,
Marc J. Summa, Ed.D
Partnership Resource Teacher
University of South Florida
School District of Hillsborough County
[email protected]
My name is Dr. Marc J. Summa and I am your 2014-2015 Partnership Resource Teacher (PRT) at Pizzo Elementary and MOSI Partnership School! I am very excited to get started in preparing you for your Final Year Residency and pending graduation from the University of South Florida - all leading to an elementary school instructional position and a life-long career in education! In the section below, I want to take a few moments to introduce myself and give you some background information about my educational experience.
I am originally from Port Chester, NY (about 15 miles from New York City) and moved to Tampa in 1994 to attend the University of South Florida. At USF, I became a brother in Sigma Nu fraternity where I was involved in executive board and intramural sports. I also was the Inter-fraternity Council (IFC) President for two years. I completed my internship at Burnett Middle School in Seffner and graduated from USF with a B.S. in Social Sciences Education in 1998.
In 1999, I was immediately hired in the School District of Hillsborough County as a middle school Social Studies teacher at Walker Middle School in Odessa. The following year, I moved to Robinson High School in South Tampa and began teaching Psychology, Economics and World History, as well as coaching football and softball.
I got married to my wife, Amanda, on May 27, 2000 and moved to FishHawk Ranch in Lithia in June 2001. I began my Master's program in 2001 at Nova Southeastern University and earned my M.S. in Educational Leadership in 2003. In the fall of 2003, I helped open Mulrennan Middle School in Valrico and taught one year of eighth grade American History, while coaching basketball and flag football.
In 2004, my daughter Madelyn was born and I began my Doctoral program at Nova Southeastern University, prompting me to move to teach at a school closer to home. That fall, I started teaching Advanced Placement Macro and Micro Economics at Newsome High School in Lithia, while working on my dissertation for my doctoral work. I stayed at Newsome for three years and, by the grace of tremendous timing, in 2007, after my son Daniel was born, was asked to take a chance and teach 5th grade at Philip Shore Elementary Magnet School of the Arts in Ybor City. I gained much of my initial elementary instructional and administrative experience at Philip Shore, and, within my first year there, earned my Doctorate in Organizational Leadership.
After the 2009 school year ended, I again made the decision to transfer, this time to teach 5th grade at Symmes Elementary in Riverview. It was at Symmes where I was no only able to expand my administrative experience, but was able to provide growth and support for teachers throughout the school and truly became an effective teacher and leader. My principal at Symmes was (and still is today) a tremendous proponent of mine, and, in early 2012 recommended me to a colleague of hers to become the Administrative Resource Teacher (ART) at Cypress Creek Elementary in Ruskin. I was appointed by the school board and began my work as the ART. Several of my responsibilities included: coordinating evaluation and testing; leading the School Advisory Committee (SAC) as chairman; developing school-wide classroom management and behavior management programs: creating school-wide classroom, specials and lunchroom schedules; directing the Parent Involvement Program; and ensuring compliance for both Title I and STAR schools. Over two and a half years at Cypress Creek, I was able to work with over one hundred faculty and staff members, hundreds of parents and close to 2000 students.
Throughout my fifteen-plus years in the school district, I have been fortunate enough to be a part of outstanding faculties, worked for amazing administrators, and have developed friendships with hundreds of colleagues.
I do want you to know one more thing - I love teaching! I love the students, the parents, the faculty and staff members, and even the administrators! I love having the ability to have a positive effect on another person that, if not for my place in education, may not have occurred. It's that interaction, that relationship, that passion and drive and excitement which makes us, as educators, different from every other profession on the planet. You have to love the fact that you really do make a difference in a person(s) life on a daily basis!
I'll leave you with this quote that I developed throughout my years of teaching and one in which I have been posting in my classroom for years:
"The choice you make today will impact someone, somewhere, somehow, someway, that you may have never met in anyway, before you began this important day!" - Marc J. Summa, Ed.D
Best wishes,
Marc J. Summa, Ed.D
Partnership Resource Teacher
University of South Florida
School District of Hillsborough County
[email protected]