Debra Penate
NEW CITY,NY
Summary
I am a dedicated and highly trained retired school counselor and teacher with over 30 years experience serving as the New York City Department of Education. Adept in creating opportunity for and engaging in powerful interactions between staff, students and parents in the school community, raising the bar at what becomes possible for the whole school community and beyond. Through decades of experience in the school system spans counseling students on mental health, academics and interpersonal conflicts. I am also attentive in identifying early warning signs of harmful behavior in students to provide preventive counseling and consistent in meeting the established goals of the counseling program.
Overview
33
33
years of professional experience
Work History
School Counselor
Department of Education
09.2002 - 12.2020
- Partnered with parents and guardians to promote student success in school environment.
- Collaborated with teachers and other school personnel to create individualized education plans for students with special needs.
- Regularly met with enrolled students to confirm success and identify problem areas.
- Developed and implemented individualized behavior plans to assist students with achieving academic and behavioral goals.
- Facilitated classroom discussions to emphasize bullying prevention and college readiness.
- Identified and addressed concerns of incoming students and parents.
- Collaborated with teachers to define counseling objectives and analyze progress.
- Delivered supportive and knowledgeable counseling to students with academic or personal concerns.
- Worked with individuals to help understand and overcome personal, social or behavioral problems affecting educational or vocational situations.
- Collaborated with parents, school faculty and social workers to address problems and grow student success.
- Advocated for students to access available resources.
- Helped students develop organizational, time management and study skills.
- Monitored student progress to drive successful academic outcomes.
Teacher, Grades 1-6
New York City Department Of Education
09.1987 - 06.2002
- Communicated frequently with parents, students, and faculty to provide feedback and discuss instructional strategies.
- Supported student physical, mental, and social development using classroom games and activities.
- Kept students on-task with proactive behavior modification and positive reinforcement strategies.
- Incorporated exciting and engaging activities to achieve student participation and hands-on learning.
- Graded and evaluated student assignments, papers, and course work.
- Conducted evaluations to measure performance and progress of students, providing guidance for areas requiring improvement.
- Participated in parent teacher conference to discuss developments of students and increase support.
- Advised and counseled students to help them develop skills and knowledge required to succeed.
- Implemented creative ways to foster curiosity for complex principles through hands-on learning and planned activities.
- Created and developed lesson plans to meet students' academic needs.
- Helped students explore concepts with engaging, learning-focused activities.
- Modified lessons and curriculum to accommodate diverse learners by using strategies such as peer-assisted learning and group work.
- Prepared quizzes, tests and examinations to gauge how well students were learning.
- Fostered student curiosity and interest through creative hands-on activities.
- Scheduled conferences with parents to discuss students' progress and classroom behavior.
- Designed detailed learning plans for struggling students based on test, homework and assignment records.
- Boosted cultural awareness by incorporating children's literature from world cultures.
- Completed student progress reports mid-term to notify students and parents of strengths and areas of improvement.
Education
Master of Science - Guidance And Counseling
CUNY Hunter College
New York City, New York05.1993
Bachelor of Arts - Elementary Education
SUNY Oneonta
Oneonta, NY12.1987
Skills
- Excellent Communication Skills
- Effective Time Management
- Teamwork
- Crisis Intervention Strategies
- Individual and Family Support
- Conflict Resolution
Accomplishments
- Honored with the UFT Leadership Award in 2019.
- Increased Parental participation by 90%, by creating a team event, Vision Quest.
- As a middle school counselor, created a newspaper staff of committed students, highlighting events and talents of student population-publishing a monthly school newspaper.
Additional Information
I am a dedicated and highly trained retired school counselor and teacher with over 30 years experience serving as the New York City Department of Education. My 22 years of expertise as a school counselor span elementary and middle school.
Currently, I work as a trained relationship coach in my own business, raising the bar at what becomes possible for the whole school community and beyond when we restore health to our relationships.
Looking forward to the opportunity to meet with you and create the possibility of serving as a temporary school counselor.
Thank you.
Timeline
School Counselor
Department of Education
09.2002 - 12.2020
Teacher, Grades 1-6
New York City Department Of Education
09.1987 - 06.2002
Master of Science - Guidance And Counseling
CUNY Hunter College
Bachelor of Arts - Elementary Education
SUNY Oneonta