Joseph Masiello Named Delaware State Teacher of the Year for 2011
--Cab Calloway School of the Arts teacher will now vie for national recognition--
(Dover, DE.) – Joseph Masiello, a sixth grade English teacher at Cab Calloway School of the Arts in the Red Clay School District has been chosen as Delaware’s State Teacher of the Year for 2011. His selection as Delaware’s top educator makes Masiello the forty-seventh Teacher of the Year since Delaware’s recognition program began in 1965.
Governor Jack Markell announced Joseph as Delaware’s “top teacher” in front of over 470 invited guests at the Dover Downs Hotel and Conference Center in Dover tonight. This year’s celebration is sponsored in part by ING. Delaware’s newest State Teacher of the Year has 26 years teaching experience, 17 of which have been at Cab Calloway School of the Arts. Joseph was also previously selected as his school’s Teacher of the Year in 2006 and 2008.
In an earlier endorsement letter to the Teacher of the Year Selection Committee, Cab Calloway’s Dean Julie Rumschlag recommended her support for Joseph. “Mr. Masiello is dedicated to his profession. His lessons are creative, challenging, imaginative, engaging, and diverse. He makes an effort to reach out to all students, whatever their interests or abilities. He works diligently to modify his lessons to address the specific needs of the children in his class. I have never seen him teach the same lesson in the same way. Joey always finds a way to inspire, motivate, and challenge. He is the best of the best in education!”
Another endorsement came from Sally McBride, Co-Founder of the Cab Calloway School of the Arts and Cab Calloway School Funder member, “I have never met a student who did not adore Joe Masiello. He represents the best in education and exemplifies the best in teaching. A teacher, besides communicating the material, should motivate, inspire, and create an environment that makes the student an active participant in his learning. This helps with understanding and retention. Joe achieves all of this, while making learning fun.”
In 1983, Joseph received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Education from the University of Delaware in Newark. In 1990, he received a Masters in Education from Wilmington University.
Joseph’s first teaching experience was at Corpus Christi School. He then spent eight years as a third grade teacher at Shortlidge Elementary School. In 1992, Joseph joined the effort to design Cab Calloway School of the Arts. He even went to every elementary school in the district to help market the school. He joined the school staff that same year and continues to teach sixth grade English.
When asked about his philosophy on teaching, Masiello wrote, “Teaching is one of the few careers that allow you to make a difference in the lives of young children; it is a blessing to be able to wake up each morning with a new chance to change the world. Added Masiello, “It is important to me that my students realize that they are a part of a community, not just a person in a class of 27 students. I believe it is my responsibility to provide my students with opportunities to interact with their surrounding community through many service-related activities.”
The process of selecting Delaware’s Teacher of the Year is very demanding and is designed to find that teacher who is most representative of the entire teaching profession. Through in-class observations, portfolio reviews and consideration of finalists by a representative panel, the process finds that one person who will become this year’s State Teacher of the Year.
Masiello now inherits an enormous task from outgoing Teacher of the Year Mary Pinkston by representing all teachers in Delaware. He will address community groups, business leaders, legislators, and educational organizations in an effort to inform the public about the status of Delaware schools. Joseph will also become Delaware’s entrant in the National Teacher of the Year Program, presented by the ING Foundation and a project of the Council of Chief State School Officers.
By action of the General Assembly, Masiello will receive a $5,000 grant to use for the educational benefit of his students, as well two personal grants totaling an additional $5,000. The remaining 18 school district candidates will each receive a personal grant of $2,000.
Masiello will also receive an educational technology package valued at approximately $18,000
from the SMART Technologies, ULC. Additionally, he will receive a Dell laptop computer; a $1,000 grant for educational/classroom use from Pearson; grants from the Delaware State Education Association, the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce and the Delaware Professional Standards Board; a State of Delaware Teacher of the Year commemorative plate from the Division of Motor Vehicles; free graduate-level courses from Delaware’s higher education institutions; a gold watch from the Delaware State Teachers of the Year Association and lunch in Washington D.C. with Senator Thomas R. Carper.
Other organizations that made presentations to the newly-selected Teacher of the Year include: the Delaware Chief School Officers Association; Delaware Association of School Administrators; Delaware School Boards Association; University of Delaware; Delaware State University; Wesley College; Delaware Technical and Community College; Delaware Association of Student Councils; and the Future Educators of America.
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Delaware's Department of Education is committed to promoting the highest quality education
for every Delaware student by providing visionary leadership and superior service.
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Contact Info.
Alison Kepner Delaware Department of Education 401 Federal Street, Suite #2 Dover, Delaware 19901 Phone: (302) 735-4035 Fax: (302) 739-4654 Email: akepner@doe.k12.de.us |
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