The Crow's Nest

Mr.Defazio, Teaching His Way Into Excellence

By Zeno Burton

Mr.DeFazio received the UFT Teacher of Excellence award on Friday, April 13 at UFT Headquarters in Manhattan.  Several faculty members from Port Richmond Richmond High School attended the event to support Mr.DeFazio.

Mr. Defazio is dedicated to teaching his students how to become strong writers and critical thinkers. “My students are what inspires my passion for teaching. I really enjoy helping them grow and learn how to do new things.  Writing is hard work. It takes a lot of practice. But anyone can do it. As Benjamin Franklin said, ‘Energy and persistence conquer all things,’” expressed Mr. Defazio.

Mr. DeFazio’s teaching style has been described as engaging and inspirational. “Mr. DeFazio is a dynamic teacher who creates an engaging and exciting atmosphere for his students, and encourages them to truly take pride in what it means to be academically self-motivated.  He consistently incorporates games and spectacle into his classroom, as well as current topics and controversies that are relevant to our students in order to make learning not only rigourous, but fun! Students truly flourish in his classroom, and I’ve watched him encourage even the most struggling student to see their potential and exceed it,” stated Assistant Principal Ms. DiPalma.  Inspiration, dedication, and passion are words that many people use to describe Mr. Defazio. “Mr.Defazio offers inspirational life and career advice for both in and out of school situations. He is dedicated to ensuring everyone’s success, and he puts all his time and energy into his passion,”stated senior, Patrick Perrigo. “Mr. Defazio has helped me become a better writer through constant practice, writing essay after essay. He always makes us revise, re-evaluate, and re-read our writing until we identify our mistakes. Not only that, he gives his students honest advice on their writing which helps them improve,” expressed junior Darien Gayle.  Mr. DeFazio’s students recognize that he has enabled them to become effective writers.

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