Little Known Black Springfield "Firsts"

MELINDA PELLERIN-DUCK IS THE MASSACHUSETTS TEACHER OF THE YEAR

By Marjorie J. Hurst

 

We are proud to salute Melinda Pellerin-Duck of the High School of Commerce in this special Education issue.  Melinda’s selection as the 2004 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year is a first for the City of Springfield and the Springfield Public Schools.  
    A native of Springfield, Melinda is the daughter of Mary M. Pellerin and Robert Pellerin, Jr. and the widow of the late Philip Duck, a well-known and respected champion of labor and issues of equity for all persons.  She received her B.A. from Annhurst College in History with a minor in secondary education.  She received a Master’s Degree in Educational Technology from Lesley College.

    Melinda began her teaching career in the Springfield Public Schools in 1980 as a long-term substitute at Van Sickle Junior High School.  In 1983 she was given a permanent teaching assignment at the High School of Commerce where she taught until 1996.  She then transferred to Duggan where she taught from 1996-1999, returning to Commerce in 1999.  While at Commerce in the late eighties, Melinda mentored students who went on to take second place in the Massachusetts Mock Trial Competition, the first Western Massachusetts inner-city school district to ever do so well.

    Larendalys Rodriquez, a student who had Melinda as a teacher at Duggan, had this to say, “A true teacher is someone who is there for his/her students and is dedicated to the students’ as well as their own education; we learn from each other.  The key to success in teaching is not to have superiority over your students, but to have a kind of friendship with them.”  She goes on to say, “…she wasn’t just my teacher she was my friend, she will be a lifelong friend for me.”
    Currently a Resource Teacher, under the leadership of Principal Ann J. Henry, Melinda works with teams of teachers to develop and deliver an integrated curriculum that includes all subject areas.  “She believes that curriculum must be interesting, relevant, exciting, challenging and a celebration of diverse cultures and experiences.”  An example of how effective she is in translating this belief into action in the classroom is shown in the 5 minute presentation she made to the 15 judges who had the unenviable task of selecting a winner from among the nine finalists, four of whom were from the Springfield Public Schools.

The presentation was an integrated lesson using Michelangelo as an example to show the connection between and the Italian Renaissance and the Harlem Renaissance.  The point the lesson brings home is that the Italian Renaissance followed a very dark period in European history just as the Harlem Renaissance followed a very dark period in American History.  It probably didn’t hurt that Melinda through herself on the table before the judges to give them a visual picture of Michelangelo painting the Sistine Chapel--just as she would have with her own students!

Melinda’s message to her students sums up her philosophy of teaching:  “I celebrate you for your uniqueness and your spirit.  Trust that I will always be prepared to hold your hand, to guide you through, to comfort you when you struggle or expectations seem to high.  You will succeed--I won’t allow you to fail!”  Asked what makes her special, she said, “I just do what good teachers do all the time.”  Well, Melinda, we thank you.

    We would also like to acknowledge the other finalists from Springfield:  Dr. Cellastine Pleasant Bailey from Rebecca M. Johnson Elementary School (Veta Daley, Principal); Francis P. Funai from Springfield Central High School (Celeste Budd-Jackson, Principal); and SiriNam S. Khalsa from John F. Kennedy Middle School (Willette Johnson, Principal).