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Emphasizing the ‘Special’ in Education

Young Bronx teacher keeps teens interested in school

By Paulette Safdieh

As a high school educator for children with special needs, Anne Looser has given back to the New York City community more than you might expect for her short 29 years. After just five years of teaching English literature to the freshmen at Herbert H. Lehman High School in the Bronx, Looser is often praised for her compassionate approach to education.

“I’ve always been interested in social justice issues,” said Looser, who previously worked with the homeless population in Harlem. “Some of the people I worked with couldn’t fill out welfare applications because they couldn’t read.”

These experiences encouraged Looser to pursue a career in education. She graduated in 2007 with a master’s degree in Urban Education from Mercy College.

Looser originally wanted to teach history but when offered a position in special education, she seized the opportunity.

“I didn’t know it at the time, but special education was an outgrowth of the Civil Rights movement which I had studied over the years,” said Looser. “The movement was all about providing support to those in need. I don’t believe it’s a coincidence that I ended up where I did.”

Looser taught special-education teacher support services at a south Bronx school before moving to Lehman. She now teaches English and literature to 9th graders who range between 14 and 17 years old.

Her hard work and dedication are noticed and appreciated by Looser’s colleagues.

“Anne is always ready to lend a hand to fellow educators in need of assistance. She has a wealth of knowledge borne from her experiences in the classroom,” said fellow teacher James Rodriguez. “Her easygoing and compassionate style makes her a favorite among her students as they can see that she is someone who cares.”

“I like being involved with what happens with students outside of school,” she said. Looser is a big supporter of extracurricular activities and trusts they can bring out the best in students. “These services are the best ways to get kids learning and reading,” she said, drawing on the Anime Club as an example. “Maybe it’s not Chaucer and Shakespeare, but you can draw kids in and eventually they’ll get there.”

Unlike other newer teachers, Looser is not in danger of losing her job because special education teachers are not being fired, but unfortunately, the school is facing teacher layoffs and has been hit hard by budget cuts. Over the last three years, Lehman lost $6 million and many extracurricular clubs were slashed.

“I don’t know how it’s functioning,” she said. “We didn’t have that kind of money to begin with.”

Looser, the United Federation of Teachers’ chapter chairperson at the school, argued that teachers and unions are too often pegged as the problem, and new education policies in New York aren’t helping the children.

“The teachers are on the frontlines every day with our youth,” she said, adding that they need to be acknowledged more for their hard work.

Regardless of such frustrations, Looser’s five years at Lehman flew by. “I used to think I would be a history teacher, teaching about the revolution,” said Looser. “I quickly realized I’m part of a revolution, not teaching it.”

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Anne Looser
Herbert H. Lehman
High School
3000 E. Tremont Ave., Bronx