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Two Newburgh Free Academy Teachers Inducted into ‘Master Teacher’ Program

Newburgh Free Academy Main Campus math teacher Mr. Inoel Guzman and science teacher Mr. Matthew Mayer have been welcomed into the 2019 cohort of SUNY’s Master Teacher Program. Responding to the call to strengthen our nation’s K-12 Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo launched the New York State Master Teacher Program (NYSMTP) in partnership with The State University of New York and Math for America. The NYSMTP celebrates the work of the highest-performing STEM teachers by establishing an expert community dedicated to developing expertise in the areas of content, pedagogy, and students’ families and communities.

About Mr. Guzman:

Mr. Guzman earned his Bachelors of Science in Electrical Engineering from Columbia University’s School of Engineering and Applied Science and a Masters of Science in Mathematics Education from Lehman College. He was recruited after college through the New York City Teaching Fellows Program and fell in love with teaching. He has taught mathematics for the past 16 years. Currently, Mr. Guzman teaches Geometry at Newburgh Free Academy Main Campus.

His professional interests include developing and creating rich inquiry-based content and teaching problem solving skills. In the future, Mr. Guzman hopes to publish his own mathematics curricula. He loves connecting to all of his students to foster meaningful relationships that lead to a positive and supportive learning environment for all.

When not teaching, Mr. Guzman enjoys weightlifting, biking, running, swimming and hiking. During summers, he enjoys traveling with his wife and daughter.

Mr. Guzman hopes to explore his professional interests with other master teachers through professional learning communities and any other opportunities that the Master Teacher Program has to offer.

About Mr. Mayer:

Mr. Mayer earned his Bachelors of Science in Biology from SUNY Empire State College, Masters in Education in Adolescence Education from Mercy College, Masters of Science in Biology from Clemson University, and has completed NYSUT’s Advanced Placement Biology Summer Institute. Mr. Mayer is also graduate of Newburgh Free Academy, class of 2006, previously attending North Junior High and Horizons on the Hudson.

In the classroom for nine years, Mr. Mayer currently teaches College-Level Anatomy & Physiology, College-Level Forensic Science, and Honors Biology at Newburgh Free Academy- Main Campus in Newburgh, NY. He has also taught Regents Living Environment, Hudson Valley Field Biology, and Environmental Science in the past.

In the evenings, he teaches an Environmental Sustainability course at Mount Saint Mary College, a Topics in Biology course, and the Life on Earth course at Marist College. Mr. Mayer teaches in his district’s Homebound Instruction and After-school Tutorial Programs. He is a 2015 Winner of a Lowe’s Toolbox for Education Program Grant and was awarded the Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley’s Taconic IPA Science Education Grant in 2018 and 2019.

In his free time, he likes to hike the Hudson Valley with his wife and dog. As a Master Teacher, Mr. Mayer looks forward to taking the Hudson River Water Quality Data Collection and Analysis mini-course and participating in the Professional Learning Teams.

About his expectations about the four-year program, Mr. Mayer expressed, “I always say that teaching is a craft that can’t be perfected, but to me I want to work toward that goal of being a better teacher and developing in ways that will impact my students. It is important to know content, but it’s also important to know how to use that content in the classroom. There is a connection between the students and their community, teachers, and administration. As a teacher, it’s my job to bring all of those things together. That’s what this program is all about.” He continued with his goals for the outcome of his participation in the program, “I hope that in four years, I will have a better idea of how to involve the community inside and outside of the classroom as we push our students to be leaders behind Academy Field. It’s not just one lesson, but what they’re going to do when they leave NFA or NECSD and how these lessons relate.”

The two teachers have committed to four years of the program which includes at least 50 hours of workshops and professional development throughout each of those years. To qualify, teachers were required to pass an exam and went through an interview process.

Master Teachers in NECSD:

Mr. Guzman and Mr. Mayer join five fellow Master Teachers from the Newburgh Enlarged City School District:

Susan Arduino, Newburgh Free Academy Main Campus

Natalie Morales, Master Teacher Emeritus, Newburgh Free Academy Main Campus

Keri Spencer, Newburgh Free Academy, Main Campus

Aileen Toback, Master Teacher Emeritus, Heritage Middle School

Juan Urena, Master Teacher Emeritus, Heritage Middle School