Trends In Education
TEACHER OF INTEREST
89
Teacher
Teacher
NONPROFITS
St. Lucie County Education Foundation.... 81
772.429.5507......................... efslc.org
Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute
Foundation......................................78
772.466.9876........hboifoundation.org
SCHOOLS
Indian River Charter High School......89
772.567.6600 ........................ irchs.org
Indian River State College................83
866.792.4772...........................irsc.edu
John Carroll Catholic High School.....85
772.464.5200.......johncarrollhigh.com
Saint Edward’s School......................82
772.492.2360...............www.steds.org
St. Anastasia Catholic School............87
772.461.2232....saintanastasiaschool.org
St. Andrew’s Episcopal Academy......94
772.461.7689..............staacademy.org
St. Lucie County Public Schools........77
772.429.3600...........stlucieschools.org
The Pine School................................90
772.675.7005.......... thepineschool.org
SUMMER CAMPS
Jungle Club Sports Complex.............85
772.567.1400......... thejungleclub.com
TRANSPORTATION
Magic Carpet Ride............................83
772.569.1777... magiccarpetride.travel
NEREIDA STEELE
Lives in: Palm City
Age: 45
School: Martin County Adult
Learning Center in Indiantown
Family: Husband, Darren; son,
Lucas, 18; daughter, Katherine, 10
Education: Bachelor’s degree in
communications from the University
of Central Florida. Florida teacher certified in world
languages: Spanish (K-12).
Background: Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, arrived in U.S.
at age 14. Her mother, Nereida Cividanes, was a Spanish
teacher at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in
Broward County. Steele worked many years for Astra Zeneca
in pharmaceutical sales before starting a How I got into teaching: “After my daughter decided I wanted a career where I could Teacher
teaching career.
was born, I
be home with her. I
was so surprised when I discovered that I loved it.”
What I like best about teaching: “Making a difference in
students’ lives. Knowing that whatever I tell them today, they
can actually go out and use it.”
Something my students probably don’t know about me:
“The fun trips that I take with my family.”
Outstanding
Teachers of the
TREASURE COAST
Outstanding
Teachers of the
TREASURE COAST
school.’ I don’t think she was expecting anybody to come see
her. I showed up and she taught me grammar after school for
a whole month. What I know today is because of her.”
Later on, Steele graduated from the University of Central
Florida with a bachelor’s degree in communications. For
many years, she followed in her father’s footsteps pursuing a
career in pharmaceutical sales. It wasn’t until after her second
child was born that she followed her mother’s career path
and entered the world of teaching. She received her teacher
certification and applied as a substitute teacher with the Martin
County School District.
“I remember going into my teaching job and saying to
myself every single morning, ‘Wow! I can’t believe it. For 35
years, I didn’t know it would feel so great to be a teacher,’”
she says.
As a substitute teacher, she instructed in many of the
schools within the district. That vast experience helped her
value the high standards in Martin County’s educational
system.
“There’s not one school that I wouldn’t send my kid to in
this county, and I’m talking in any area, especially Indiantown,”
she points out.
It was during this time of substitute teaching that she
realized she could impact students’ lives. She recalls fondly
how a young boy with a learning disability in a Head Start
classroom got her attention. The first-grader was struggling
with penmanship and basic addition that the other students
clearly understood.
“Everybody was telling me in this class, ‘Oh, he doesn’t
know how. He has a problem,’” she recalls. “I would say to
him, ‘Don’t worry, it’s okay.’ What do you do when a kid
doesn’t know what zero plus one is? And the whole class
knows it’s one, but the child says it’s zero?”
With a little determination and unwilling to accept defeat,
the dedicated teacher worked with the student until he understood
addition.
“When that kid got it and the whole class saw and celebrat- >>
TREASURE COAST EDUCATION DIRECTORY
/www.irchs.org
/efslc.org
/772.466.9876........hboifoundation.org
/irchs.org
/866.792.4772...........................irsc.edu
/772.464.5200.......johncarrollhigh.com
/772.492.2360...............www.steds.org
/772.461.2232....saintanastasiaschool.org
/772.461.7689..............staacademy.org
/772.429.3600...........stlucieschools.org
/thepineschool.org
/thejungleclub.com