This is the third in our series of interviews with winners of the Ardsley PTA Jenkins Award for service to the community.
Concetta Ambrose has made her significant mark on the Ardsley Community over the years as a foreign language teacher at Ardsley Middle School. Not only does she fulfill this role with rare aplomb, but she has contributed in many ways to the foreign language education of students by helping with the overall design of the foreign language curriculum, organizing and hosting foreign language week lunches and acting as a mentor to young teachers. Her influence is not only limited to language arts, however, as Ms. Ambrose has taken classes to Broadway performances over the years, and plays an essential role in the life of our 8th Graders as the organizer of an annual trip to Washington, DC. Ardsley Today reached her by email for this interview:
How do you feel about receiving the Jenkins Award?
I am very honored to be a recipient of the Jenkins Award. I love teaching and it is always nice when people acknowledge all the passion and hard work you've put into something over the years. It's a wonderful feeling to be recognized by my students, their parents and the community as a whole for my contributions after 40 years of service in this profession, and 24 years in the Ardsley school district. I am humbled by this award.
What has driven you to be so involved with students over the years?
I think one of my strengths is the connection I have with my students. One of the greatest thrills for me is having former students visit or write to tell me how much they enjoyed my class and how they've used what they learned in their travels and experiences.
I have always loved world languages. When you are passionate about something, you're motivated to share that passion with others. I try to show students the importance of learning languages and learning about other cultures in addition to their own. I've always been very fond of adolescents and pre-adolescents. Although it can be an awkward time, it can also be a fun time. My students and I enjoy our time together in the classroom. I try to craft lessons which are engaging and which make them care about languages and about learning in general. I think it's important for me to be a role model and to set the foundations that will help them later on, both in high school and beyond. I try to teach not only my subject, but responsibility and proper behavior both in the school setting and outside of it.
Tell us about your trips with students to see Broadway Shows? Why is it important for students to be exposed to Theater?
Teaching a language isn't just about learning the grammar; it's about exposing the students to the culture, the literature, theater and arts of the country. I try to immerse my students in everything French (and Spanish when I teach it), which increases their knowledge of the language and their knowledge of the world around them.
Organizing the 8th Grade trip to Washington, DC must be a lot of work. What do you think the students get out of it? What do you get out of it?
Although it is a tremendous amount of work, I love organizing the 8th grade trip to Washington, DC and accompanying the students on the trip. It is an educational experience as well as a social one and a culmination of their four years at Ardsley Middle School. I think teachers have to give students the opportunity to learn outside of the classroom walls, in the real world. This trip is one way for us to provide that for our students. They learn a lot and enjoy going to the museums, seeing the monuments, and enjoying the dinner-dance cruise on the Potomac. Students and teachers talk on the bus ride and at meals and get to know each other in a different setting. We see another dimension to them, and this has enriched my teaching. This trip has helped me build bonds with my students and many of these bonds have lasted a lifetime.
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