faculty spotlight
Making a Difference would tell her, “All you need is confidence; with that, you can do well.” “I would do just as he told me,” Miss Dugue said. “He really made a difference.” Miss Dugue is an example of how Mr. Calzetta tries to live out his personal mission as an educator: “Students will rise to your expectations,” he noted, “but we need to believe in them.” He explained the importance of being honest with his Nizette Dugue '14 with Mr. Anthony Calzetta at "You Make A Difference Day" at Bishop Kearney HS
Saint Mary’s Elementary School math teacher Anthony Calzetta is definitely making a difference in the lives of his students. Mr. Calzetta was recently chosen by Nizette Dugue, a 2014 graduate of the Elementary School and a current freshman at Bishop Kearney High School in Brooklyn, as a teacher who had a positive influence in her life as part of Bishop Kearney’s "You Make A Difference Day". Students submitted essays honoring middle school teachers who had enriched their lives and inspired their educational aspirations. Mr. Calzetta and the other award nominees were honored at a ceremony and reception on April 16. “I never liked math, but I improved greatly based on Mr. Calzetta’s help,” said Miss Dugue as to why she chose to honor him. “I developed a love of and better understanding of math.” She noted that Mr. Calzetta
students about the work they are doing. “If I know they can do better, I let them know. If they had a good day, I let them
know. If I feel they are not working hard enough, I let them know.” He added that he doesn’t just teach them the equations, but the skills to learn math – such as how to study or what to do if they get stuck on a problem. When his students make the decision to become engaged and put in the work in order to do well, Mr. Calzetta said he makes sure he’s there to help them along the way. “I embrace questions and want my students to become confident in the subject. I make myself available every single day to give extra help. My students can E-mail me questions and I will do everything in my power for these students to be successful.”
“To me, this honor meant more to me than any academic achievement I have received.”
Mr. Anthony Calzetta explains finding factors of quadratic trinomials to his students
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He noted that he wants his students to love math as much as he does and to see its importance in the world. “I bring that enthusiasm, that passion, and I try to insert it in every lesson.” So when he learned that his former student Miss Dugue had chosen to honor him at "You Make A Difference Day", it meant a lot. “To me, this honor meant more to me than any academic achievement I have received,” he said. “This trumps the two degrees I have received, any honor society or passing any certification test. This was the highest honor in my mind.”