I Love Mr. Tony

3.8.10 - Anthony Melillo - After working for most of my life in the computer field, and being downsized like so many others, I found myself working part time at a church and was asked to fill in for a teacher at the end of the year.

I Love Mr. Tony
Anthony Melillo

After working for most of my life in the computer field, and being downsized like so many others, I found myself working part time at a church and was asked to fill in for a teacher at the end of the year.  I had limited teaching experience, and did not have children yet so did not seriously consider the position.  But this insightful Principal saw something in me that I didn’t even know was there, thankfully he did. I was supposed to fill in for three months and that turned into the biggest gift I have ever received.  Here is an example of that:

When the children surprised me with this, I knew my life would never be the same.  It would be better!

Truly, if the eyes are the window of the soul, then the eyes of a child are a window to the love that resides there.  I soon after began the journey to becoming a Kindergarten Teacher.

Unfortunately this process has been loaded with aggravation, red tape, and more grief that I could have imagined.  But all it took was the look from one of the preschoolers I was visiting recently; to bring me back to that quest. 

I am current a community college student in Toms River, NJ and will be graduating this semester with an A.A. in Elementary Education.  My overall Grade Point Average (GPA) is 4.0.  I have been initiated into two nationally recognized honor societies, Phi Theta Kappa and Pi Lambda Theta.   My decision to enroll at this community college was based on the outstanding reports I received about it, and my primary goal was to transfer to their partner 4-year institution to obtain my Bachelors Degree.

I applied to the 4-Year College in 2009 and my application was rejected.  I was told that my GPA from my previous B.S. Degree was not high enough.  I was then made aware that Transfer students from the same community college would be accepted for admission, with a GPA as low as 2.0!  My B.S. Degree GPA is nearly a 2.5, and this does not take into account the community college courses I have taken.

Now that I will be graduating with my A.A. in May 2010, I reapplied to the 4-Year College as a Transfer Student.  I was soon notified that my application was, yet again, rejected.  But this time it was because I was not allowed to apply as a Transfer student due to the existence of a previous degree.  That same degree was rejected again, for the same condition as before.  Also, my A.A. Degree from the community college would not be considered.  The community college advising department and the 4 yr partnering school counselor was unable to offer much assistance in this unique situation. 

At this point I began looking for alternatives and decided to apply other colleges within NJ.  During the application process, I came across more hurdles.

Some undergraduate programs were unavailable to me, again, due to having a previous degree, although I was referred to their Graduate or Post-Bachelors Programs.  Unfortunately, the tuition for a graduate program can be substantially higher than an undergraduate degree and scholarships were not available to me due to the previous B.S. degree.  Since, like many college students, my parents are unable to offer any financial assistance; this was a major consideration with any college I attend.  In addition, one to two semesters of pre-requisites would be required even before starting this particular Graduate Education program.

I also applied to other 4-year colleges within the State and was told that only 66 of the 80 credits earned from my AA Degree would be accepted.  In addition, there was a serious possibility that courses would have to be repeated including two major courses I had already taken for my AA Degree, plus biology and others added.  All of these barriers would have to be dealt with even before beginning the core of their programs.  Some of these conditions I was told were due to NJ State teaching requirements. Also, most of these colleges were outside of Ocean County where I currently reside and therefore would substantially increase my tuition and hours of travel time to and from the school.  I live only 10 minutes away from the Toms River community college.

What is being forgotten in this process is the desire to make a positive difference in the lives of the children, to provide them with the best education and life possible.  With some schools firing teachers, in some cases the entire staff, due to poor performance, maybe it’s time to remember why we are really teachers.  Not for the money, days off, or other extrinsic rewards.  We are there for the children.  I have personally dedicated my life for just this purpose, and somehow I will get there.

Many of the outstanding Professors I have taken have offered to write letters of recommendation or assist if possible, while offering advice and encouragement.  If it were not for these and others like them, I would have given up by now.  Hopefully this will be an example for future teaching students and encourage them to not give up.