David Lapolla Email & Phone Number

I have been an educator my entire life. My first job as a lifeguard included teaching swimming lessons which planted the seed that grew into a true love of helping people acquire and apply new skills to their lives. Starting with my first teaching job in suburban Atlanta; in my home town; and then in the Bronx at an independently run charter school, I have always complemented my in-class responsibilities with coaching and involvement outside of the classroom. I have coached young children and teens in baseball, softball, swimming, football, and wrestling. As a member of a small school staff in a charter school, I have helped to write and rewrite the math curriculum as state tests and grouping of standards have evolved over the span of my career. Having been on a small staff, cross curricular collaboration has been the norm much longer than the "new" trend of mixing disciplines in the classroom. The applications of the math curriculum are endless. These links and bridges for students helps to answer the age old math teacher question "When will I have to know THIS!" It also prepares students as problem solvers. As the workforce continues to change and evolve along with technologies and innovations, the jobs that are available today weren't even dreamed of ten or fifteen years ago. Helping students to become comfortable applying concepts as opposed to algorithms and steadfast rules will make them more marketable and capable of fulfilling job positions that we cannot fully imagine. I hope to make a difference in education becoming a more student-centered and concept driven experience for students. Whether that translates into my being in the classroom with students specifically or by working with educators and staff to facilitate programs that apply cross curricular collaboration remains to be seen. I can't wait for such an opportunity to present itself.

Listed skills include Teaching, Staff Development, Curriculum Development, Tutoring, and 5 others.