Meet the KIPP NYC Team and Family
Hear from some of our teachers
Melissa Parry
5th Grade Reading Teacher, Founding Teacher, KIPP AMP
With KIPP NYC since 2005
Why did you join KIPP?
I wanted to be part of a common mission and be amongst goal-setting, goal-oriented people who think of teaching as a profession and treat it that way as well. It’s the only way to be a catalyst for change.
What keeps you at KIPP?
The kids’ smiles every day. Watching them work, watching them be invigorated by their learning, watching non-readers ask to read questions and feel confident enough to be helped by their classmates. On the professional side, knowing that the person across the hall will be teaching an excellent lesson and had just as many personal things going on as I did.
How is teaching at a KIPP school different from teaching at your previous school?
I am pushed by a school-wide culture of excellence. Focusing on the little things, such as where are your hands, why aren’t you smiling, takes away from the bigger problems. The respect for each other, for students and for families is a huge change. It really feels like a team and family. It takes a community to raise a child, and it takes a whole school.
It’s motivating to see that change can actually happen.Why should teachers consider teaching at a KIPP school?
You are pushed professionally and intellectually every day. You are valued as an employee, and your position is treated very seriously. Teachers here are treated as professionals just as professionals in other businesses are treated. Education is a business. We are in the business of educating students.
What’s one student success story you can share?
I had one student come in to my class reading just 12 letters. He wrote me a letter on the second day of school saying that he can’t read but wants to learn. He came in with very low confidence. He never participated and wouldn’t put his name on tests because he was so beaten down. He became a very enthusiastic participant in class and finished the year reading at a mid-third grade level. He was able to turn it around by watching how dedicated his peers/teammates were. He felt like he was allowed to make mistakes and was confident enough to know that people weren’t going to laugh at him. He knew that he could be as low as he is and get help and wouldn’t be called stupid. The way we deal with behavior problems is very different. They’re addressed instead of ignored, talked about instead of screamed at. Adults interact with children on a level of respect. Tough conversations are had and not avoided.
