PARSIPPANY — In December, Central Middle School began an exciting new monthly recognition when they nominated Mr. Thomas Curcio to be their first “Teacher of the Month.” Teachers will now be nominated each month by fellow faculty members and the identified teacher will be acknowledged to the school and local community. Grade 8 English teacher Curcio was humbled and honored to learn he received the award during the school’s winter pep rally. CMS student Darren Spratley explained that Curcio is an extraordinary teacher because “he taught me to love to read!”
Curcio expressed great appreciation for the award and for being at Central Middle School, a place he explained is “a very positive workspace, where administrators are always willing to assist and, most importantly, the kids are great!” When Curcio was asked about his favorite aspects of teaching, his eyes lit up as he shared, “one of my favorite parts of teaching is when a student gets it. Just when you think they may not get it, something lights up inside of them and it reassures me that I am doing something right.” Curcio further shared that he thinks English can be incredibly empowering to students because “books are like mirrors that teach us how to be the right kind of human being” and “writing helps us communicate our thoughts, as sometimes we tend to share things in our writing we wouldn’t dare share through speaking with one another.” He also identified developing connections with students and collaborating with colleagues as two other reasons he loves being a teacher.
Fellow CMS teachers cited Tom Curcio’s love for students, and his willingness to collaborate with colleagues as attributes.
Fun facts Curcio shared about his life outside of the classroom walls include that he “enjoys going to gym, attending Broadway shows, and watching programs about home renovations, then trying to do some of those things to my own place.” He also shared that he “loves taking care of his two dogs,” and he’s been known to, “check on the dogs with a home camera in his free time pretty often.”
