When Rebecca Vitelli walkedinto her classroom attheColwyck Center near New Castle Wednesday morning, two of her studentswere sitting on a rug reading, while two were drawing and two more were building a castle in the far back corner of the room.
Just named Delaware's 2020 Teacher of the Year the night before in a ceremony in Dover, sheplopped down on the carpet in the classroom's small library and picked up the book, "Chicka, Chicka 1, 2, 3."
"'Climb,'said 4 to 5 and 6, bright little numbers that join the mix," she read to the little girl sitting next to her, pointing ata picture of cartoon numbers climbing a tree."'Hurry!' yelled 7 to number 8, slow-poke fellow who's always late."
"Chicka, chicka 1, 2, 3 ... Will there be a place for me?"
In Vitelli's room, there's a place for everyone. Her classesinclude a mix of students with disabilities and their typically developing peers, and she believesall children are born with an innate drive and extraordinary ability to learn.
"My heart and my soul and my passion is with our youngest learners and is with early childhood education," she said. "And I see the power of it each and every day. Truly there is nothing more magical and meaningful than being in the classroom and watching these youngest learners develop a love of school, to develop a love of learning and to develop a love for themselves and each other."
"It is powerful, and it gives you that hope that we're going to develop a better future this way."
Last year's winner:Delaware Teacher of the Year changed the way students are perceived, treated
Vitelli was selected for state Teacher of the Yearout of a group of 20 teachers, one from each district as well as a charter school representative, according to the Education Department.
As the winner, she will receive a $5,000 grant to use in her classroom, as well astwopersonal grants totaling an additional $5,000. She'll spend the next yeartalking to community groups, business leaders, legislatorsand educational organizations to inform the public about the status of Delaware schools.
In her application for the state title, Vitelli told the story of twin sisters with autism who entered Colonial School District’s early education program at age 3.
On their last day at Colwyck as 6-year-olds, their mother reflected on their growth in Colonial’s program and Vitelli’s class in a note to her daughters that Vitelli shared: “Three years ago, we were told you would never talk, and you would always be trapped inside 1-year-old brains. Three years later, you have proved them wrong.”
Like thosestudents, “children and their families need high-quality pre-K experiences, where love of learning and confidence can be nurtured to unlock their true potential,” Vitelli said.
“Many of my students begin school without the ability to speak. However, this in no way means they have nothing to say. We teach children to express themselves in a multitude of ways. We show them that communication is powerful and that others will listen and value what they have to share.”
Vitelli has a strong background working with children with special needs, she said.She earned both of her degrees from the University of Delaware: a Bachelor of Science in early childhood education and a Master of Education in exceptional children and youth with a concentration in autism/severe disabilities.
She then did her student teaching at the John G. Leach School, which is in the same building as the Colwyk Center and is for students ages 3 to 21 whohave physical disabilities, moderate to severe cognitive disabilitiesor serious health impairments.
Despite only being 26, Vitellihas exceptional teaching skills,former administrator andretired special education coordinator Debra Nuss said.
“You sit mesmerized by her seemingly effortless abilities to facilitate children’s play within a carefully engineered, rich learning environment while individually addressing the complex needs of her students with great efficiency," she said in a statement.
"Most of all, it is Rebecca’s heartfelt joy, sincere compassion and genuine love of children that make her classroom such an enchanting place to learn.”
Her principal shared a story about how Vitellihas built positive and lasting relationships with her students and families, extending her support to her students outside the school day.
After one boy’s parents told Vitelli about their struggles with their son’s behavior at their church, Vitelli attended church with the family to provide guidance and support to his Sunday School teachers.
“It didn’t matter that it was the weekend, it didn’t matter that they practice a different religion, what mattered to her was that her student and his family needed her help and trusted her to support them,” Principal Katrina Daniels said in a press release.
Vitelli also teaches her students how to cope with stress and anxiety.
After a free play period on Thursday, the entire class sat in a circle and took some deep breaths.Then they had a singalong, led by a dancing Vitelli.
She gets muchof her passion for teaching from her parents, she said, who are also educators. Her mom teaches in ruralupstate New York, while her dad taught for years in Brooklyn and The Bronx.
They were at the Teacher of the Year banquet with her in Dover Wednesday night.
Vitelli also credited her experiences at a summer school in New York for pushing her to work with kids with disabilities.
She worked there during high school and wasa one-on-one paraprofessional for a boy who was selectively mute, she said.
He rarely said muchto her, but on the last day of the program asked for her hands.
The boy brought them up and put them against his cheeks, which were usually very sensitive. He was showing Vitelli he trusted her.
"And I cried," shesaid.
After that, she knew: "This is my life. This is what I want to do."
Vitelli nowis Delaware’s nominee for National Teacher of the Year, a title she hopes will allow her to share her message about the importance of all children having access to quality early childhood education.
In addition to the $10,000 in grants, she willalso will receive several other gifts, including State of Delaware Teacher of the Year commemorative plates from the Division of Motor Vehicles; a full doctorate program from University of Delaware and Wilmington University; graduate tuition from Delaware State University and Wesley College; a watch from the Delaware State Teacherof the Year Association; a 10-karat gold ring from Jostens; and lunch in Washington, D.C., with U.S. Sen. Tom Carper.
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Jessica Bies finds the news of the moment and brings it to you with local context and perspective. What have you heard people talking about? Call (302) 324-2881 oremailjbies@delawareonline.com with story ideas.
