天美传媒

by Cecil Harris

Will it play in Peoria?

That question gained prominence in the early 20th century among theatrical types who wondered if their act would appeal to audiences in mainstream America, and no city was thought to better represent mainstream America than .

Maryanne Donohue, an and (S.T.E.P.) graduate from Merrick, New York, learned that her education prepared her to succeed in a mainstream American classroom after an unexpected move to Peoria.

鈥淎delphi definitely prepared me well for the process of teacher evaluations,鈥� said Ms. Donohue, who is in her third year at in Peoria. 鈥淎delphi used the system to evaluate us as student teachers. This past year, my school used the same system to evaluate the teachers. I was familiar with that evaluation. Adelphi had ingrained in me how to teach a lesson. I received a rating of excellent.鈥�

After receiving her bachelor鈥檚 degree in English in 2005 and master鈥檚 degree in childhood education in 2006 from Adelphi鈥檚 , Ms. Donohue expected to teach on Long Island throughout her career.

鈥淟ong Island has so many great schools, but it鈥檚 very hard to get a full-time teaching job on Long Island,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 spent two years as a teaching assistant in Great Neck. I got teaching experience and had health insurance and a nice salary. But I kept hearing from people in the profession that I should get a teaching job in New York City and hone my craft.鈥�

Thinking she would return to Long Island in two years, Ms. Donohue became a teacher at in Spanish Harlem. The principal told her the neighborhood was exactly as it was depicted in the famed Broadway musical and film .

Although Ms. Donohue never saw the Jets battle the Sharks in an alley or heard women resembling or sing from apartment windows, she learned Adelphi had equipped her to teach in a classroom in Spanish Harlem or anywhere else.

鈥淚n one class at Adelphi, we read , which is about inner-city Chicago; I referenced that book a lot because the author [Gregory Michie] was coming from the same place I was,鈥� she said. 鈥淵ou have to work hard to earn the trust of underprivileged children. They鈥檙e so used to people saying they鈥檙e going to be there, and then they鈥檙e not. But once you get their trust, they鈥檙e really great.鈥�

Ms. Donohue also bonded with Rob Ramirez, who taught gym and Spanish at P.S./M.S. 108. He became her fianc茅. When he told her his dream was to become a college soccer coach, she agreed to take that adventure with him. When he became the women鈥檚 head soccer coach at in Eureka, Illinois, in 2011, the couple moved to Peoria.

鈥淎 good teacher can work anywhere in the country,鈥� Ms. Donohue said. 鈥淎delphi prepared me well. All the classes, I felt, encompassed everything.鈥�

In addition to her two degrees, she holds New York State certifications in childhood education, special education and English for high school students. She鈥檚 thankful to Adelphi Honors College , and , Ph.D., for convincing the former pre-med student to switch to education.

鈥淢aryanne is delightful and clearly a wonderful teacher,鈥� Dr. Garner said.

鈥淚鈥檝e taught a different grade in each of my six years as a teacher,鈥� said Ms. Donohue, who will teach fourth grade this year. 鈥淚t keeps me on my toes.鈥�

To keep her students on their toes, Ms. Donohue has reached out to the to have a ballet dancer serve as a teaching artist in her classroom. The project is similar to the partnership New York City schools have with the , and serves as an example of how an Adelphi-trained teacher is playing well in Peoria.