_{Dowling College/News 12
Educator of the Month
Mrs. Stephanie Ida}

Mrs. Stephanie Ida, Special Education Teacher in Medford Elementary School
in the Patchogue-Medford School District, has been named
a 2008-2009 Dowling College/News 12 Long Island Educator of the Month.
Nominations were accepted from schools throughout Nassau and Suffolk counties,
and a committee of distinguished educators selected the winners.
Mrs. Ida has worked for Patchogue-Medford schools as a special education teacher
 for 19 years.In that time, she has worked as a resource teacher,
 self-contained teacher, math remediation teacher and piloted the now,
very successful, inclusion program here at Patchogue Medford. 
She has spent time at the elementary and the middle school levels. 
Having chosen to work with students who are learning disabled,
or as Ms. Ida often puts it, "differently- abled,"  has lead Ms. Ida
on a career path that is her true north. Her belief in her students’ abilities
 is clearly matched by her own ability to find her students’ strengths
and then use these strengths to motivate her students to learn. 
Working with students who are differently-abled has caused Ms. Ida to develop
strategies that are, for lack of a better educational term, “outside of the box.” 
 As one might surmise, her beliefs and strategies have not only been useful
and successful with special education students, but have benefited the ESL
 and general education students working with Ms. Ida as well.
Mrs. Ida is a "Power of One" and we congratulate her on this prestigious award.