Oscar Velez '89: Turning Around Failing Schools

Mustard Seed Alum Oscar Velez has a passion for improving Jersey City schools and serving those in need.

A few years into his teaching career, he was chosen from 120 teachers at PS 24 and named “Teacher of the Year”, an honor usually reserved for veteran teachers.  Here he tells us a little bit about what he is doing now and how he got there.

Where did you go after Mustard Seed School?
I went to the Stony Brook School for high school (’93), Rutgers University for College (’98, BA History), and New Jersey City University (MA Educational Administration ’08)

How did you decide to become a teacher?
When I graduated from college, my mom, who is a teacher, suggested that I take an alternate route to teaching. I worked at Jersey City PS 24 by day and took education classes at night. 

What was your first class like?
I taught 8th grade social studies in a school that was built for 800 but served 1100 kids.  It is in the inner city and suffers from some of the classic problems associated with inner city schools:  overcrowding, unmotivated teachers, gang problems, and drug problems.  When I was there, there was violence in the school.  Kids came in with guns and knives.

What do you like about teaching?
I love the interaction with students, especially the challenging students—those with behavioral issues.  I have a chance to mold them and influence them.  I have a reputation for being strict, but also for caring.  I enjoy reaching out to kids who are going through tough times and dealing with issues around drug abuse, physical abuse, homelessness, hunger and extreme poverty.  I taught eighth grade for seven years.  In all of those years except one, we had at least one pregnant eighth grade student.   

What are you doing now?
I work for the Jersey City Board of Education as an Administrative Coach.  My department is three or four years old and fulfills the “No Child Left Behind” program.  Schools that don’t have adequate progress for six years are taken over in the sixth year for restructuring. I’m a part of that restructuring.  I coach principals and am part of the decision-making process.  The scope is comprehensive and spans budget, personnel, teacher evaluation, professional development, and facilitating action planning for each school.

How do you evaluate schools and initiate change?
As we work to improve schools, we apply Maslow’s hierarchy of need and we look at the following areas: physical safety and well being; order and procedures; ownership of the people involved, mastery of high performance and balance. 

What did you learn at Mustard Seed School that has stayed with you? 
How much time do you have?  I come from a Spanish-speaking family.  Ms. Pargellis--she was Ms. K back then—taught me English.  Academically, I can’t say enough about the foundation that I received at Mustard Seed.  If I hadn’t had the foundation from Mustard Seed, I would not have been able to excel academically in prep school and college in the way that I did. 

One key lesson that I learned that continues to help me today is how to interact with other people and work in a group.  In my early years of school, I was highly competitive.  I remember that for several years, my progress report would say, “Oscar needs to learn how to work well in groups.”   The teachers kept working on it with me.  Then one year my progress report said, “Oscar has learned to work well in groups.”  I laughed out loud.  I felt like Mustard Seed fixed me.  Mustard Seed is more of a family, and goes beyond academics.  They are concerned also with the social development of the student.  This is something that I would like to see grow in the schools where I work.

How has Mustard Seed School helped you as a teacher?
As a teacher, I can honestly say that I emulated and copied a lot of teaching style and principles from Mustard Seed.  I use a lot of art projects like we did in Ms. White’s class [Upper School art].  Making art engages students; it motivates them and makes them excited about learning. 

Mustard Seed gave us an exposure to culture and fine arts that we would not have gotten anywhere else.  I went to symphonies, ballets, and museums.   I played instruments and sang in marvelous places.  As an educator, I can’t say enough about the depth of academic and social growth that happens through the fine arts.  And this was all long before the Shared Space program!

What do you remember about the community?
We benefited from the highest level of education, irrespective of financial background.  We didn’t know this as kids.  When I look back at my friends, we came from all backgrounds, from economically challenged to privileged.  The faculty treated us all the same. There was no distinction among us. 

The school’s emphasis on service, coming out of the message of Christ, has been of the greatest importance to me.  I learned from School Family (Community Worship) and from the literature that we read, the importance of serving.  Being a Christian is more than going to church.  As a student, I served at the homeless shelter and collected baby food for the local food pantry.  I read about what was going on in the third world and was taught about the need for social justice.  For the last nine years, I have gone on short term and long-term mission trips.  I have served in Columbia, Cuba, Honduras and in East Harlem, NY.  My desire to go out and serve can be traced directly to my days at Mustard Seed. 

Do you have any memories that you would like to share?

Making the Butterfly Mosaic
It was my class who made the Butterfly Mosaic in the Community Room when we were studying butterflies and animals in science.  I remember sketching ideas for mosaic and breaking the tiles when we were making it. My graduating class has a lot of pride about that mosaic. We love the school, and the fact that there is something of us still there, that we’ve left a mark—it gives me a sense of satisfaction. 

Receiving the Blue Ribbon
I was there in 1988 when the school won the United States Department of Education Blue Ribbon for Excellence in Education.  I got to go to D.C. with a group of students and sing for President Reagan.

Making the Dona Nobis Pacem Poster
When I was in Fifth Grade, I helped to make the Dona Nobis Pacem poster that hangs on the Third floor by the front hallway.  It was entered in a contest at the Hungarian Peace Council and won.  It was displayed at the Hungarian Peace Consulate in Budapest, then traveled to East Germany for a summit meeting of Nato leaders, and finally was displayed at the United Nations for a while. 

Do you have any thoughts about your 2009-2010 school year?
We received a grant for one of my schools to begin something like the Shared Space program.  I plan to send some of my teachers to observe the Shared Space at Mustard Seed and then pilot it.  I’ve lined up three art teachers and three classroom teachers and paired them up.  They are really excited.  This is a bit outside the scope of my job but the potential to impact the students is great.  I’m eager to see what happens.

What are your hopes and dreams?
I want to keep progressing as an educator and improving my craft as a teacher/instructional leader.  I would like to be as reflective as the teachers at Mustard Seed, always looking back and considering how to move forward.  I would like to continue to be a servant, wherever I go and whatever I do, whether professionally or thought my church.  And one day, if I ever have kids, I would love for them to go to Mustard Seed.