Robin Pyrchalla teaches 11th and 12th grade students at Flushing High School. She teaches several classes a day, equaling to about 3,000 students. Pyrchalla is also responsible for preparing her 11th grade students for the New York mandated English exam. Her senior classes often look to her for guidance when making college decisions. She is dedicated to outreach education and enjoys inspiring an appreciation for the English language in young children. Amongst students, she is known for making literature exciting and fun. A highly experienced and educated individual, Pyrchalla uses innovative teaching methods to keep students engaged in the material.
Pyrchalla is especially experienced with urban school districts and diverse classroom teaching techniques. She creates a lesson plan that celebrates individualism and academic achievement. She enjoys helping disadvantaged students reach their full potential. Because of her mentoring relationship with students, many children feel that they can trust Pyrchalla to help them make personal decisions regarding both academics and extracurricular activities. She is passionate about bettering the lives of these individuals.
Robin Pyrchalla is a compassionate educator. She does whatever she can to help her students exceed, even outside the classroom. Pyrchalla often donates her time to anxious students who need assistance on college applications and essays. She also is the acting faculty advisor for the school yearbook committee. She enjoys being a reliable adult and role model for these young people. Ms. Pyrchalla also offers extra help sessions before major exams and frequently chaperones at school-sponsored activities.
Robin Pyrchalla grew up in Buffalo, New York. As a young child, she dreamed of one day becoming an educator. She felt a special calling to help children who come from disadvantaged backgrounds. After graduating high school, she attended the State University of New York at Cortland. She studied with a dual major in Childhood Education and Special Education. Her goal was to get certified to teach 1st through 6th grade. This certification was especially hard to obtain, attesting to Pyrchalla’s dedication to her dreams.
After only one semester in college, Robin Pyrchalla was accepted into the C.U.R.E. scholar’s program. Cortland’s Urban Recruitment of Educators is a program that requires accepted college students to take three courses specially designed to teach them about the problems with education in urban areas. These classes covered a variety of topics including urban education and the roles that gender, race and class play in education. These classes prepared Pyrchalla for what working in a diverse environment would bring. They also gave her an idea of just how much influence she could have over her students’ futures. In this way, the C.U.R.E. program both inspired her and made her a more knowledgeable educator.
Pyrchalla also completed two student teaching opportunities while in college. One was in a special needs classroom, while the other was at an urban elementary school. Robin enjoyed teaching these students and making a difference, but from this experience she learned that she was better suited to teach older students. Pyrchalla adamantly pursued her dreams and earned the best grades that she could.
Her academic success earned her yet another prestigious opportunity. After being recommended by a professor for outstanding academic achievement, she was admitted to the International Honor Society called Kappa Delta Pi. This society honors students who have not only done well in their studies, but have demonstrated a sincere dedication to educating others. In 2005, Robin Pyrchalla graduated with honors from the State University of New York at Cortland. However, she was not yet finished with her education.
While working with special education students in a co-teaching position for the Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) in Nassau County, Robin Pyrchalla was accepted into New York University’s Graduate English Education program in the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development. This is one of the most competitive education programs in the nation. Here, new and innovative teaching methods were encouraged to students, and these methods made lasting impressions on Pyrchalla’s teaching style. Once again, Ms. Pyrchalla proved herself to be an impeccable student. Not only did she graduate with a Master’s Degree in English Education, she maintained a high GPA of 3.78 and earned inclusion into yet another honor society.
The international collegiate honor society Sigma Tau Delta English Society recognized Robin Pyrchalla’s professionalism and determination in English education and allowed her membership. This organization is dedicated to promoting interest in literature and the English language while also fostering literacy within the community. It advocates all facets of English, including literature, writing and language. Throughout the world, this society has more than 825 local chapters. As a member, Pyrchalla took a leadership role by planning and managing Sigma Tau Delta events.
On top of her education, Pyrchalla still worked full-time with BOCES. This organization sponsors educational opportunities and resources to New York schools that lack funding for proper equipment and technology. She took a lot away from this experience and gained a new appreciation for the duties of special education professionals. After two long years of work and study, Robin Pyrchalla graduated from NYU Steinhardt School with a Master’s Degree and certification to teach English to students in grades 7-12. After graduation Pyrchalla accepted a teaching position at Flushing Senior High School, one of the largest high schools in Queens, where she still remains today.
Pyrchalla has always maintained an active life outside of the classroom as well. She believes in staying healthy physically as well as mentally. She has also always understood the importance of incorporating a little bit of fun into everyday activities. Robin Pyrchalla has become quite the talented skier, frequently spending skiing weekends in the Poconos with friends. Over the years, Pyrchalla has also made a habit of hiking and participating in various other outdoor activities. A true New York native, she has been a fan of the Yankees, Giants and Buffalo Sabres since just about birth. Some of her favorite childhood memories have been at these sporting events with family members. Additionally, Pyrchalla learned at a young age to appreciate the arts in New York. She has seen her favorite musical “Wicked” on Broadway more than once.
Charity was another passion instilled in Pyrchalla early in life. She has become a frequent supporter of St. Jude’s Children Research Hospital. As she has always been driven to enhance the lives of kids, Pyrchalla felt compelled to reach out and help young people affected by cancer. St. Jude’s is one of the leading pediatric research facilities in the country, saving countless lives each year. With the help of volunteers like Pyrchalla, this facility has built for itself a reputation for excellent patient care, never turning away patients who cannot afford the proper medical care.
Robin Pyrchalla’s life has been an example of dedication and service to others. As a child, she dreamed of one day being an influential educator in an urban area. With passion and a strong work ethic, she made that dream into reality. Her honorable accomplishments as well as charitable support are only small examples of Pyrchalla’s distinct calling to serve others. Never taking the easy road, she has done all that she can to best prepare herself for the future. As a high school teacher, Robin Pyrchalla has found ways to cause an appreciation for English literature among students as well as to inspire them to be the best versions of themselves.
In the future, Robin Pyrchalla hopes to continue with her passion for educating young people. She enjoys touching the lives of underprivileged students and would like to find new ways to reach out. Her diverse experiences have taught her that teaching is an ever-changing career path, so she will do her best to stay acquainted with the newest and most effective methods. In all, Pyrchalla would like to inspire students to not only appreciate English literature, but to want to become English teachers themselves. She finds her career to be so rewarding that she wishes the same opportunity for her students.
Robin Pyrchalla is well versed in the issues that plague urban education systems. She hopes to pioneer ways to bridge certain gaps such as limited resources and poor relationships between educators and students. She understands that for some students, teachers are the only positive role models in their lives. That being said, she hopes inspire confidence in her students so that they will grow to be healthy and successful adults. By donating her time to school-sponsored extracurricular activities, she hopes to help keep students out of trouble.