As the 2024- 2025 academic year began, Townsend Harris High School welcomed Jude Binda, its newest addition to the English department. Taking over for Stephanie Burley, who left THHS in June, Mr. Binda said he’s ready to step into his role with enthusiasm and fresh ideas.
Mr. Binda’s academic career began very close to THHS. At Queens College, he began his road toward teaching by completing his bachelor’s degree. Following that, he finished his master’s degree at Adelphi University.
He said his upbringing with immigrant parents impacted his decision to become a teacher. As a first-generation American student, specific experiences, such as helping his immigrant parents navigate life in America, served as a great inspiration. He said, “I’ve always helped out my parents with language, culture, or how things work here. I’ve always felt like a teacher to them, and it’s been so fulfilling.”
However, Mr. Binda’s passion for teaching extended beyond his family and guided him toward a career in education. When asked why he chose Townsend Harris, he said, “The students are amazing and I came from a very different school environment […] here students are so much more engaged because they care about their grades and their learning, and I [find] it so rewarding to be a part of that.”
Mr. Binda teaches 9th grade English and AP Language, focusing on topics such as gender roles and stereotypes. Mr. Binda believes in balancing structure and creativity, allowing students to comprehend advanced texts through shared experiences. He said, “I leave a lot of room for students to have extra time and a lot of opportunities for creativity and open-ended questions,” in addition to completing the mandated curriculum.
Mr. Binda’s potential was apparent to those involved during the hiring process, such as Mr. Dunbar, an English teacher at THHS. Mr. Dunbar said that when a job is opening in the school, a team of teacher leaders is notified to review resumes.
Through these resumes and interviews, he explained certain aspects that made Mr. Binda stand out. He said, “Not only did he have a lot of experience teaching a gen ed – general education – population, but he also had really good experiences teaching in the ISS background, which is [the] Instructional Support Services, and that’s important to our school.”
Moreover, Mr. Dunbar was impressed by how well Mr. Binda knew the curriculum. He said, “[Mr. Binda] knows his stuff. Like that’s really important in an English class— you need to know the content that you’re teaching.”
Tenzinn Namsel, a freshman in Mr. Binda’s English 9 class, describes the environment he creates in class as “primarily based on supporting others and encouraging students to make mistakes.” She goes on to describe his teaching style, saying she “like[s] his teaching style,” and describing it as particularly consisting of teaching while “giving outbreaks, because [he understands that] focusing on one subject for too long stresses many students out.”
Tenzinn expresses the belief that “Mr. Binda just wants his students to learn comfortably.” She closed off her interview with us by saying she “would recommend him to students because he teaches at a good pace so everyone can easily understand the material.”
Mr. Binda revealed his thoughts on the community at THHS, saying that he loves the sense of diversity. “I think that it is cool that a lot of different people are bringing [many] experiences and different backgrounds to the table. Everyone here is super inviting and they take my feedback and my input the same way they take [theirs]. The department is truly amazing,” he said.
With his passion for teaching and commitment to helping all his students, both with their academic and personal growth, Mr. Binda seems ready to face his first year teaching at Townsend Harris.
