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MISSION MOTIVATED

Teachers stay on despite, and for, challenges

At St. Anne's Institute in Albany, troubled girls enter the program with hopes of leaving with a better life. For the staff at St. Anne's however, leaving rarely seems to be a thought.

"Once you are here you never leave," said Caroline Casale, director of public relations, with a laugh.

Working with kids who are in such desperate need of help can no doubt be stressful. Studies have shown a high turnover among special education teachers, one reason for a shortage of them. Stress has been a major factor. 

The challenges of working at St. Anne's resemble those of similar programs, but staff members have their own methods of keeping calm.

"They can be really tough," said Mrs. Casale, "but if you show them kindness they usually soften up and are much easier to deal with."

Mrs. Casale, who has been at the school for 15 years, could be considered one of the "newer" staff members. 

According to Richard Riccio, who has been at St. Anne's for 35 years, nearly half the staff at St. Anne's has been at the school for 25 years or more.

"It's like a family here," said Eleanor Sicluna, a teacher from Albany High School who is teaching at St. Anne's for her second summer. "It's a smaller community, it's not as stressful and the people I work with are really nice too. I love it here and don't plan on leaving anytime soon."

Principal Eleanore Rosenberg has been associated with the institute since 1984, when she was a teacher at St. Anne's. After a brief leave, she returned.

"I couldn't stay away," she said, chuckling. "I just love the kids so much."

Lindsay Zanello is a case manager at St. Anne's. She also teaches the institute's pre-Kindergarten program for children with special needs. Her work involves, simply put, making sure the children get what they need.

"We deal with speech-impaired kids, some emotionally disturbed, some with autism," she explained. "It definitely gets tough, but just staying organized helps a lot. We have different behavioral needs for all the kids. They all get different therapy. It can definitely be stressful at times, but it's worth it.

"They're really good kids," she added. "You can't help but fall in love with them."
For Mr. Riccio, it is the mission of the school and the demands of the job that keep the teachers on board. 

"They believe in what it is we do," he said. "They know they can make twice as much in a public school but they stay here. Our kids are just so needy and that's what I think the bottom line is." 

(07/16/09) [[In-content Ad]]

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