Margaret.Negrelli

I've been in Special Education my entire life.  Both my brothers are severely disabled with multiple disabilities, including Cerebral Palsy, Intellectual Disabilities, Autism, and other cognitive impairments.  

In education, I've worked in a broad range of settings.  I have worked as a general education high school business teacher, teaching business communication, keyboarding, Microsoft Office Suites and entrepreneurship.  I taught computer applications at Rikers Island to high school students.  I have been a school dean for a specialized school in the NYCDOE.  In that same school I have worked as a School-to-Career teacher at the Brooklyn VA Medical Center, as a Reading Specialist, as a 6:1+1 classroom teacher for Autistic students and currently, as the Transition Coordinator for the organization - helping families with acquiring OPWDD eligibility for their children and finding a care coordinator to assist with life after high school.  I am also the UFT union representative for my school.

Over the course of my life, I have worked in all economic sectors.  My experiential "toolbox" is quite full and quite diverse.  One of my favorite contributions to education is that I have developed horticulture and gardening programs for my students through grant writing to aid in behavior management, give connections to: community, the world-of-work, nutrition, healthy choices and volunteerism.  Through these efforts, I was named the 2018 NYS Agriculture in the Classroom Teacher of the Year.

Personal notes:  I like woodworking; I ride a motorcycle; I play acoustic guitar.  I was born on a dairy farm on Long Island, practice organic gardening, sustainability and a healthy lifestyle. 

And, most importantly, I believe all children can learn.  They are like treasure chests.  We just need to find each unique key to unlock their potential.