Reflecting on Newtown: Teacher Perspectives
Posted: Feb 9, 2013
This month, I am introducing you to two outstanding educators: David Bosso, Connecticut State Teacher of the Year 2012 and Tony Mullen, both National and Connecticut Teacher of the Year 2009. David and Tony live and work in Connecticut, a state that enjoys a close-knit community of educators. Both were deeply impacted by the horrific murders of very young students and their teachers in Newtown. These two thoughtful gentlemen each offer us a viewpoint on lessons we might take away from this heartbreaking incident.
David’s piece originally ran in the Hartford Courant.
Tony’s piece originally ran in the Greenwich Time online newspaper.
David Bosso, 2012 Connecticut Teacher of the Year
David Bosso, the 2012 Connecticut Teacher of the Year, has been teaching Social Studies at Berlin High School since 1998. He was recently named the 2012-2013 Outstanding Secondary Social Studies Teacher of the Year by the National Council for the Social Studies, and was recognized by the Connecticut Council of the Social Studies for its Excellence in Social Studies Education award in 2009. Bosso earned a Bachelors degree in History/Social Sciences from Eastern Connecticut State University. In addition to a Masters degree in Educational Computing and Technology from the University of Hartford, Bosso holds a Masters degree in History from Central Connecticut State University. His work at CCSU led to the publication of two articles in the journal, Connecticut History, focusing on the Americanization of Italians in Waterbury, CT during the Second World War, and on the impact of Japan’s economic growth in the 1970s and 1980s on industry, politics, and education in Connecticut during that era.
Tony Mullen, 2009 Connecticut and National Teacher of the Year
Tony Mullen, Connecticut and National Teacher of the Year 2009, has been teaching special education teacher at the ARCH school in Greenwich, CT for the past twelve years. In addition to teaching his students, Mullen provides professional development training for district teachers, and is Director of Teacher Leadership Projects at Mercy College in New York. A married father of three, prior to beginning his teaching career, Mullen served the City of New York as a police officer for twenty years. He has written a weekly blog for Ed Week as well as authoring the forward to Chicken Soup for the Soul: Teacher Tales.
