By ZAARA MALIK
After a year of working as a patient coordinator at the Stony Brook Cancer Center, chemistry teacher Ms. Umile chose the field of teaching over medicine. She joined the Jericho community after getting her degree in education and working at a few schools around Long Island.
Ms. Umile was attracted to Jericho because of the resources the school offers to not only help students improve, but also to help teachers improve through workshops and collaboration. Ms. Umile said, “Not every school district offers this and takes the time to provide support for their teachers.”
Ms. Umile enjoys applying her extensive knowledge to actual hands-on activities for students. This is the main reason why chemistry is her favorite subject to teach since there are so many real-world applications.
Despite the current pandemic, Ms. Umile’s experience at Jericho thus far has been positive. Seeing her students enjoying chemistry and having fun is Ms. Umile’s favorite thing about teaching at JHS.
Ms. Umile believes that course material should be taught through a variety of practices. “To learn the material, it’s not just going to be through one method. You have to see it, hear it, feel it, understand it with manipulatives, understand it with problem-solving, understand it with conversation skills and modeling,” she said.
Ms. Umile highly values connecting with her students and always tries to put herself in their shoes. “She’s really nice and always replies to emails super quickly,” sophomore Carolyn W. said. Ms. Umile makes sure to go through each lesson clearly and carefully, keeping an organized and supportive learning environment overall.
Outside of school, Ms. Umile has a personal website on which she discusses her accomplishments as both a teacher and an individual. Her website showcases goals she’s reached including being certified in teaching biology and chemistry and teaching at the Fusion Academy. Non-academically, she is a certified vinyasa and hot yoga teacher and is able to teach at various studios around Suffolk County.
Ms. Umile is looking forward to improving herself as a teacher and unlocking her students’ full potential during her first year at Jericho High School.