Interview: Teacher/Lawyer, Joyce Heller
What do you do?
I’m a special education teacher at PS 261 in Brooklyn, NY. I teach 2nd grade in an ICT (integrated co teaching) classroom. This year I have 11 students with special needs in a class of 23.
Why did you become a special education teacher?
It’s a long story. I was a lawyer for 20 years. The first 5 years I worked at a huge law firm with over 400 lawyers. The firm had a pro bono program (when lawyers do work for free for people who can’t pay) that sent young lawyers into legal services offices. I was sent to the housing unit at South Brooklyn Legal Services, where I defended tenants who were being evicted and overcharged. I really felt like I was helping people who really needed legal help. So after my 4-month rotation, I quit the firm and joined Legal Services. I stayed there for 15 years working in many different areas representing poor people in family, housing, benefits, medical, education, and other civil matters. I became a manager of the office and after so many years of practice I realized that one of the biggest issues for poor people was their lack of education and difficulty in helping themselves. That’s when I decided to become a teacher.
Do you and why do you like teaching?
I really enjoy figuring out how to help kids who have had great difficulty learning. I really feel like every kid deserves the opportunity to have a good education, even if it’s hard for the student and teacher and requires more time. I have seen as a public interest lawyer how hard life is without a good education. I have seen as a mother how important a good teacher is.
My mother changes the world in a not so small way. She went from corporate law and making a ton of money to public interest law, and making less money, to now public school teaching and making even less money. For my mom, it has never been about the money. She thinks she has enough. It’s about helping people who need it. My mom wants to be connected to all the people in her community. She really believes we are all equals and should all be helping each other so everyone can succeed and have a good life. It’s amazing how my mom who is so smart (went to Ivy League schools for college and law school) is putting all her brain-power and effort into teaching when she could be doing anything. If there were more people, like my mom, who weren’t just in it for themselves this world would be a much better place.
I think the lawyers who did the pro bono program are respectable because not everyone wants to work for free/ without a contract
ReplyDeleteI like your blog interview because you really care about what your mom does for the world and for people who need more attention to succeed, but who are just as able. I love how proud of you are of what your mom does. You are very convincing about how your mom benefits the world.
ReplyDeleteI liked how you were able to share your prior knowledge in this article. That's such a great thing that your mom does. I think your post was very persuasive and you had information to support your ideas. Good job!
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