Teacher emphasizes faith and family

Doreen Cechnicki believes in what she teaches. That philosophy paid off when she was recently honored as Teacher of the Year by her co-workers in the Schenectady City School District.

She teaches family and consumer sciences at Mont Pleasant Middle School in Schenectady.

Mrs. Cechnicki, a convert to Catholicism, has been a parishioner of St. Mary's mission church in Sharon Springs for nearly 25 years.

Faith in school

Mrs. Cechnicki said, "Our family has always believed that, if we can pray together, we will stay together. In fact, my entire life is my family. For me, it's always been about the family. I teach [these courses] because it's about family life."

A Eucharistic minister and former parish council member, she said that applying principles of faith has been part of her work.

"In a public school, you don't teach faith," she said, but she does teach the importance of reaching out to the larger community to help others, such as the victims of Hurricane Katrina or planting flowers to beautify the school grounds.

Day by day

Mrs. Cechnicki said that "every day is exciting. I try to make each day interesting and relevant. Good behavior and respect for others is part of what I teach. It's about living in society."

Students learn how to choose healthy food, the difference between good and bad fats, and how to make healthy choices for themselves.

That is combined with learning family and communication skills, how to behave in situations of stress, and how to make positive choices for themselves.

Goals

The teacher serves as president of the New York State Association of Family and Consumer Science Educators, a group of 917 teachers who participate in conferences, workshops and other initiatives concerning family and consumer sciences.

"As teachers, we all believe in what we teach," Mrs. Cechnicki said. "We want all our students to become productive citizens in an ever-changing society.

"Teaching is part of me. I love my job. I've always loved being a teacher. My faith is a part of who I am, and so I teach what I believe."

(8/23/07)