By: Julian Montoya
Every morning at Neuwirth, when the bell rings, there is already a person hard at work, preparing for the day and being the best they can be for their students. They stay there in their class from at 8 AM all the way to 6 PM, way past most have already left home, preparing for the next day, grading, and working towards making a change and making our community, and this world, a better and greener place to live in; and that person is Neuwirth’s beloved Freshman Science teacher, Ms. D’Andrea.
D’Andrea grew up in New York to loving adoptive parents. According to D’Andrea herself, they were great parents. Her mother was incredibly kind and supportive, and while her father was more on the strict side, though he was still kind to her. Her father was “weirdly shy,” as she put it, but when it came to the family, he was a “very smart, very funny guy.” D’Andrea also looked up to her mother, describing her as “the kindest person I've ever known in my life.”
“She just had such a big heart and there was always a lesson in everything that we did. She always approached every situation with kindness, and I hope that I am making her proud.”
D’Andrea described herself as “a bit of a rebel” in high school and although she’d fight with her parents at times, they “handled it with grace and kindness.” She regrets not having apologized a little more to them, but they were still great to her and even though they’re no longer here she is thankful for what they did have together. They were typical parents, or as D’Andrea would rather put it, “Typical good parents.”
After high school, at first she attended Syracuse University, then transferred to the State University of New York, and finished her final semester abroad in a college in Italy. D’Andrea had always wanted to be a teacher, but she also wanted to be a pilot, so she went into the ROTC and got a scholarship for aerospace engineering. However, she soon realized that it just wasn’t fit for her and switched her major after a year. Whether it was after-school programs or substituting, she would always go back to being a teacher.
Then around 16 years ago, D'Andrea was sitting in one of her Credential Programs classes when she heard a knock on the classroom door. It was one of her teachers, and she was being called out of class. He had approached her offering a teaching position at this new school he’d started because he liked the work she did in his class. She’d never done something like that before, as she was still in school, and had no idea of what she was doing. It was a huge challenge, but she “loved every minute of it” even though “there were a lot of tears that first year.”
When she was hired, the school was still small, consisting of only the 9th grade, six teachers, two administrators, a custodian, and a single counselor. That school was called College Ready Academy High School #5, or as it’s known now: Alliance Patti & Peter Neuwirth Leadership Academy. She’s been here since the beginning: “Since day one; since day zero.”
Some might not realize this, but D’Adrea is also a mother alongside being a teacher. In fact, she’s raised three daughters together with her husband, with even one being in a band that travels regularly. D’Andrea recalls those first few years being especially hard since she was dealing with raising three children, as they weren’t adults yet, while also having to deal with something as significant and pressuring as being a teacher. She wishes that she forgave herself more and didn't take things too seriously. “Teachers make a lot of mistakes and sometimes it’s hard to forgive yourself. So, I spent the first few years kind of beating myself up a lot when I would let kids down or not do things the best that I could.”
Though, now that it has been 15 years since she first began, it’s surprising that D’Andrea has been at this school for so long. Some may ask how it’s even possible for someone to be at the same school for so long, both in years and on the daily. D’Andrea says it’s simple answer: “It’s you guys, it’s the kids, cause that’s the whole point. I can 100% admit to saying that I love coming to work almost every single day.”
She has always been passionate about teaching and those beginning years at Neuwirth allowed her to flourish as a teacher. D’Andrea thought very highly of education as a way of bringing about change and she called it “the great equalizer.” She says that “it is the most important way that we can change the systems that are not working in favor of most people.” Her work allows her to inspire the next generation, especially the next generation of women to also be passionate about science.
We were also able to contact a Neuwirth alumni, Ashley Montoya, currently in college to talk about their experiences in D’Andrea’s class. After taking D’Andrea’s class, she started to actually be interested and appreciative of science and learning, specifically botany. “Going into the class I wasn't really interested in it. I thought it was cool, but not something I would ever personally invest myself into, but because of her I think science is really cool and it's one of my long-term interests, to be involved in some sort of science.”
“What keeps me coming back is the relationships, the ‘ah-ha’ moments with students. I feel like if I can get someone excited about science, or any STEM field, especially girls, then I’ve done a good job and whenever that happens, even the tiniest little successes just keep me coming back. I love it. I love this job.”
Montoya attributed this newfound interest to the very interactive and entertaining way that D’Andrea had taught her students. “The teachers there really go out of their way to do their best for their students, you know”; making slideshows, packets, and coming up with fun lesson plans to try and get kids interested in the topic they're teaching. Even though they weren’t the best students in terms of doing all of the homework, because of D’Andrea, Montoya could retain all of the information in class, doing well on the tests, passing the class, and enjoying the class. D’Andrea specifically facilitated and encouraged her personal interests as well. D’Andrea would get excited when Montoya would show her art and in turn she’d be more interested in class. She always keeps her door open and is active in keeping up with students, even if they’re not hers.
Now looking towards the future, D’Andrea hopes that with this new student-led Environmental Action Club, she can bring what she’s passionate about and her classes to more students, allowing them the space and the opportunity to tackle issues that they themselves find personally important. She initially started with an environmental course, but then realized that environmental justice was also an important aspect of environmental science.
“It was important for me to also get kids thinking about the intersectionality between racism and poverty and economic troubles. That’s the word I’m looking for; and it was at that time I taught the class for two years when a student came to me and said that she wanted to start an environmental club and I was like ‘yes!’ It was great because it was student-led and it wasn’t a top-down thing. It wasn’t me in charge and the students doing what I said, they drove the whole thing.”
We can all agree that without D’Andrea, this school just wouldn’t be the same; without her passion, her dedication, and her immense care for their students, a lot of kids would be missing out; and I think that if her parents could see her now, that they’d be proud.