This school year, Jessica Espinoza joined the Townsend Harris faculty as an Instructional Support Services (ISS) and English teacher.
Before her arrival to THHS, Ms. Espinoza taught as a science teacher for ten years at Junior High School 217 in Queens. She said that starting at a new school was “almost like starting all over again.” She continued, “Obviously, [it] has its downsides because being a first-year teacher is a lot of hard work, but I have noticed that as teachers, we get complacent over just teaching the same lessons over and over again.” She said that starting fresh has allowed her to gain a new perspective in teaching.
Although she was interested in literature, Ms. Espinoza said that she first “fell into” the field of science. “I liked doing experiments and being able to apply a lot of concepts to the real world.” On the other hand, English always fascinated her. “It is such a deep field with the freedom of interpretation,” she said. She especially enjoys hearing students’ different perspectives regarding the work she assigns.
Ms. Espinoza also discussed the differences between teaching high schoolers and teaching middle schoolers. She said, “Middle School was fun to teach. They were high energy, but they needed a lot of directives. High School allows me to do more because [students] are more independent and can initiate tasks and projects on their own.”
Freshman Tara Masurkar, one of Ms. Espinoza’s English and Writing Process students, said, “Not only does she provide excellent guidance and support [in these] subjects, [but] she is also very approachable.”
Besides working with her students, Ms. Espinoza said that she enjoys spending time with other teachers in her shared office. As a special education teacher, she is partnered with English teacher Anthony Balone in order to plan lessons together.
Mr. Balone said, “Not only is having a co-teacher good for students, but I have to say I see it as an opportunity for myself, as well. It’s a chance to learn new strategies and take a fresh approach to things I teach year after year.”
“It is interesting to learn from [the other teachers] and borrow techniques to morph into my own. I [also] just love working with and laughing with my students. My connection with my students is my strongest suit and the most rewarding part of teaching,” said Ms. Espinoza.
