Whether she’s in her room, the business office, or across the school, Erin Mascaro is ready to teach business, while helping all her students along the way.
Mascaro has an emphasis on mental health and ensuring that her students have support for whatever they need, inside or outside of the classroom.
“I always try to make them first feel comfortable and listen. Which I think sometimes we want to fix right away, rather than listen. Listening is the greatest tool to use as a teacher and listen with your eyes and your ears.” said Mascaro.
Mascaro makes sure that every student of hers feels heard, while offering support from her and another staff member.
“She has an ability to see and hear when a student needs additional support, additional guidance, or know when to refer them for additional support,” said lead business teacher Carolyn Milano.
Mascaro is able to successfully balance creating a safe environment for students, as well as an educational environment. She shares about her life experiences to create an open environment where her students can truly know their teacher.
“I felt like I could go to her with other stuff besides just what we were learning in class and it also made me not scared to ask her questions about the class,” said Sophomore Logan B.
Mascaro runs a charity walk, called Sound of Silence, which students often get involved in and learn from.
“I think it’s impactful for students, one when they see it and they get involved and they actually participate the day of, that they look around like any other participant and they see that they’re not alone. So, they’re either not alone in their own journey of mental health or they’re not alone in their own journey of supporting someone who’s navigating their own mental health. […] That I think is the greatest takeaway. And then the fact that they see me afterwards and that they know they could follow up with me if they need help in navigating….” said Mascaro.
Knowing that this charity walk is run by a teacher they know, students are more motivated to participate.
“They are invested in the walk […] but our students are personally invested in her walk and by her being a teacher that they admire and they value, they put their efforts in with their whole heart and all of their energies,” said Milano
Mascaro also runs the group PLAN meetings, along with Megan Moy, that take place between freshmen and seniors, which are meant to help the freshmen settle into the building.
“I think it’s always great to see the upperclassmen make relationships with the underclassmen. […] if the upperclassmen know that they can have an impact with just a compliment or a hello, just as we as teachers can, it can empower our upperclassmen, but also make our underclassmen pay it forward in the years to come,” said Mascaro.
Mascaro, along with school psychologist Jessica Reiger, created the Mindfulness Club, to give students a safe space to improve their mental health after school.
“I think the purpose is for students to come together without points associated necessarily […] Just [to] learn tools to navigate stress, or navigate friendships, or navigate grief, or navigate anything that’s consuming you and how can we mindfully and how can we, in a healthy way, take on some stressors of our everyday lives,” said Mascaro.
She takes pride in the fact that her students feel comfortable and safe coming to her and asking her for help. While she is helping her students, they are helping her feel the impact that she has had on them.
“One, I’m honored that they feel safe to come to me, two, it reminds me that I’m showing up and reminding them to show up and take care of themselves, and then three it gives me great responsibility to pass the baton, to get them to resources because that’s the end goal,” said Mascaro.
As an educator who has created safe spaces for students, in and out of her class, Mascaro’s impact on students is felt throughout our community.◼️
