2018 Blackboard Award Honoree: Ronie L. Mataquel

Ronie L. Mataquel

Editor’s note: To read profiles of all 2018 Blackboard Awards honorees, click HERE!

Ronie L. Mataquel
Grades 9-12 Common Core Geometry, Algebra 2,
College Algebra & College Math Focus
John Bowne High School

Tell us about some of the special joys and challenges you’ve experienced as
a teacher.

One of my special joys as a teacher was when I made the fateful trip to the United States of America to work as an international teacher. The bitterness of leaving loved ones behind is a reality that every Filipino craving for a greener pasture can never conceal. In frustration of being away from my family and adjusting to this environment, I ventured into other odd jobs. A few months later, I felt the hunger of going back into the classroom, and wound up in the Big Apple. This experience gives me joy because the challenges I’ve overcome has given me the lifetime opportunity to change lives.

Please share a special project or achievement that you are particularly proud of from this year.

For the past five years, I’ve been teaching Math College Focus, a remedial class for students who are not college ready. I prepare students to take the CUNY placement exam. I used an online tool to help students practice specific topics to master the concepts and to track their individual progress. I am proud to say that my remedial classes have the most students passing the CUNY exam!

Ronie L. Mataquel with executive editor of New York Family Mia Weber. Photo by Daniel S. Burnstein.

What keeps you motivated and committed to being a dedicated and hard-working educator?

In my limited capacity as a teacher, it is very difficult to measure the impact we’ve made on students until we hear them utter simple words of appreciation. To hear them express that what they’ve learned in the four walls of my classroom proved worthwhile is very rewarding. To make a difference in students’ lives is beyond compare. That’s what makes me motivated and committed and I do it with joy, one student at a time.

What do you love about your school?

Known for its agriculture program, John Bowne High School is a school uniting many cultures of teachers and students of multi-racial origins where I feel I truly belong. JBHS is a home that honed me to be who I am today and provided me with good leadership and an opportunity to grow as a teacher.

Relevant Directory Listings

See More

Paché Montessori

<p><span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Located in a newly renovated landmark building amidst the beautiful brownstones of Cobble Hill. Carefully crafted with the developmental needs of children in mind, classrooms offer children calm, peaceful environments to explore the rich Montessori learning materials.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Paché Montessori is a community-oriented, value-driven Montessori school with highly trained educators located on Court Street in Cobble Hill. The name, Paché, comes from the Italian word for peace (“pace”), and this guiding principle is at the heart of everything we do. The school serves children from birth (3 months) through 6 years old (Kindergarten) and offer a Spanish Immersion option for their Toddler and Primary students.</span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Their beautiful 25,000 square foot school contains a large rooftop playground, an indoor gross motor space with a climbing wall, and a second-floor terrace for outdoor gardening and learning.</span></p> <p> </p>

Beansprouts Nursery School

<p><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal;" data-sheets-value="{" data-sheets-userformat="{">Founded in 1980, Beansprouts offers a warm, supportive community in which our classrooms belong to the children. Our teachers serve as guides and mentors, while the children spend their days playing and sharing in a structured environment designed to stimulate their curiosity and build on successful experiences.</span></p>

The Co-op School

<p><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: #fefefe; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Co-op School </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; color: #000000; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">is a student-centered and parent-aided cooperative school serving preschool through 8th grade at their new building located in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.</span></p> <p><span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; background-color: #ffffff; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Co-op School provides a safe and stimulating micro-environment in which students experiment and learn.</span><span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Their approach to teaching kindergarten through eighth grade is firmly rooted in our philosophy that students learn best when they are invested in finding answers to their own questions. Their teachers use the Responsive Classroom approach to facilitate this process and provide meaningful learning experiences for each student, preparing them for the grades ahead. </span><span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; background-color: #fefefe; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As students learn to work together, preparing for a global environment, families also work in committees and on the board to support the school and its core values: compassion, uniqueness, innovation, community action, and joy. Families interested in joining our community are welcome to reach out for a one-on-one meeting by emailing </span><span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; background-color: #ffffff; font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; color: #1a73e8; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a style="color: #1155cc;" href="mailto:admissions@thecoopschool.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener">admissions@thecoopschool.org</a></span><span style="font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; background-color: #fefefe; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> to learn more about their approach to learning; their newly built facility, which is optimized for airflow and safety; and their cooperative commitment.</span></p>