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A Special Educator Spotlight: Gary Colletti is the Senior Manager of Programs at BRI. Prior to joining the Institute, he was a policy associate at the National Association of State Boards of Education. His background also includes teaching for fourteen years in high schools in New York City and Richmond, Virginia.

Dear John,

On the morning of September 11, 2001, I was teaching history in a Manhattan high school.  When a student raised his hand during this otherwise normal Tuesday lesson to ask why the sky was filled with smoke, we were faced with something new. With television, landlines, and internet out, there was no way to know the extent of what was going on.  It turned out we were safe, but at that moment, the emotions were understandably running high. In the middle of the elevated concerns that the students were voicing, one student stood up and implored the class to remain calm, saying, “Do not worry – Mr. Colletti will make sure nothing will happen to us,” and turning to me with a look that I can only describe as simultaneously that of an adult and a child, asked, “Isn’t that right, Mr. Colletti?”  

By no means am I drawing a parallel between the events of September 11th and the current impacts of Covid-19.  What is true, though, is that beyond exploring content, practicing skills, and building habits of thought and action – we as teachers and students live in a real world of huge changes – often having to make decisions without a lot of information.

In times of upheaval, and uncertainly, teachers are at the same time stable figures who provide safety for their students, and we are human beings who are experiencing the stresses and uncertainty of new territory along with everyone else.

It is at times like these – times when we are living through the events that will make up conversations in future history classes – that we appreciate our colleagues, our students, the families in our communities.  When in the middle of troubling times, I applaud all of the teachers who can simultaneously acknowledge the difficulty of the time, and respond to those students who ask…”Yes, that is right. Things are going to be ok.”

Thank you for all you do.

Gary Colletti
Senior Manager, Teacher & Student Programs