Galashaw, Dianne
Ms. Dianne Galashaw
4th grade
Room 306
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Where she lives: Flushing, Queens
Teaching since: 1976
At P.S.8 since 1981
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"I am colleagues with my former students Ms. Browning and Ms. Martha, and even one of my student's mothers was instructed by me 30 years ago!", Ms. Galashaw exclaims. "I am getting towards the end of my career, that's obvious," she adds with a wink. That she might be anywhere near the end of her teaching career you would not believe if you saw Ms. Galashaw acting in the classroom, as full of creative energy as she was on day one 32 years ago. But should she retire from P.S.8 she will not stop working: "I have two careers: in the evening I go to my private practice in Manhattan, where I work as a pastoral psychotherapist."
Ms. Galashaw has seen P.S.8's ups and downs over the last 25 years, a view mainly form the basement, where she taught Physical Education for 20 years. She loved including play into the children's curriculum, but "since I am leaving soon, I want to leave a more lasting mark, and have more significant impact on them," she says. In order to do this, she took over her first 4th grade in 2006. She loves getting to know the children of her own class inside out over the course of the year, enjoying the consistency of the group and their routines in the weekly schedule. She combines traditional and modern teaching methods in her class, being one of the few teachers with decades of experience.
Ms. Galashaw received her undergrad at Cortland State University, then went on to City College from which she graduated as a Special Ed. teacher. If her two jobs grant her some spare time, she loves to travel to the Caribbean: Aruba and Bermuda are her favorites.
Posted on: April 28, 2008
