Kings Elementary's Roselyn Gitt retires after 23 years of teaching

WARWICK-Some parents just cross their fingers and hope for the best. Others try to maneuver to get a teacher they've heard about. And some may be reluctant to make a mistake, thus keeping their hands out of the mix. Whether left to chance or willfully engineered, the teacher your child gets is no small thing. Mrs. Gitt's first grade class in Kings Elementary School is full of parents grateful they got her before she got away. Roselyn Gitt is retiring this year after 23 years of teaching. She has some enlightening observations about the course of education, such as her feeling that testing is being over-stressed. She said, "In our ongoing efforts to improve the quality of our teaching and of our schools, it's important to remember that the reality of education and the measure of its success is far more complex than test scores. We have to teach to our students' needs and strengths to help them develop a love of learning." Author Daniel Goleman, said in his 1995 book entitled Emotional Intelligence: "School success is not predicted by a child's fund of facts or a precocious ability to read as much as by emotional and social measures; being self-assured and interested: knowing what kind of behavior is expected and how to rein in the impulse to misbehave; being able to wait, to follow directions, and to turn to teachers for help; and expressing needs while getting along with other children." Parents of Mrs. Gitt's last class had lots to say about her expertise and caring for their children: • "Mrs. Gitt is a teacher who has inspired the children in her classroom to be strong individuals, both academically and personally." Jennifer Burnett (Kelly's mom). • "Mrs. Gitt has been so wonderful with our daughter and Ally loves her very much. She's learned a lot and Mrs. Gitt is just a very wonderful and caring and decent person." Irene Ehrmann (Ally's mom). • "I'm very happy with her and I know Alex feels the same way. She has done a lot for my son, the way she teaches and introduces things. And she's taught (her students) to be respectful, so they can learn." Luz Aparicio (Alex's mom). • "Mrs. Gitt is a wonderful teacher. Lari enjoys her so much. She is very caring and compassionate. We need to have more teachers like her." Victoria Estridge (Lari's mom). • "Nicholas loved Mrs. Gitt. She recognized his abilities and challenged him. She knew when to discipline and taught him to respect others. We wish her good health and happiness in her retirement." Kathy, Scott and Nicholas Zintel. • "Webster's Dictionary defines Love, Compassion, Patience, Charisma, and TEACHER utilizing 240 words. We use only two…..Roz Gitt." The Cartright Family (family of Justin's). • "Educationally our daughter has grown 10 fold. Her teacher's methods are so fundamentally sound. And combined with her genuine way of caring, this will be missed by the children and parents of Warwick School District." Walter and Linda Pevny, parents of Kaitlin. (Walter Pevney is a Computer Graphics teacher at New Milford High School.) Roselyn Gitt started her career as an educator in Chester teaching first and second graders for five years. She took 10 years off to raise her son. She next taught remedial reading and math in Pennsylvania. Then her family returned to the area and she taught first grade in Warwick for the past 17 years. She lives in Warwick, and said she enjoys being able to stay connected with many of her students. "There is a teacher in the Warwick district that I taught when she was a second grade student in Chester. She now has a 3 year old of her own." Roselyn Gitt's son is working towards a master's degree in art and is also in the process of becoming a firefighter for the Fire Department of NYC. Her husband is with Leyland Alliance and is involved with the Warwick Grove project. She plans to spend more time with them and with her 91 year old mother. And she'll have time now for other things. "There's a painting on my easel that has been there for several years! I'm going to finish it and I look forward to continuing to paint over the coming years." She also hopes to travel to see family in Switzerland and Greece. "Traveling is often an inspiration." And she plans to tutor, "so tI can continue to stay involved in the profession that I've enjoyed so much." Gitt returned the compliments of so many parents in saying, "I've had the privilege of working with wonderful families dedicated to their children and to our schools. Their active involvement is so important because it instills a value for education. As teachers, we continue to build upon this foundation."