Teaching: An Unconventional Approach

by Terrence Huie

“Don’t judge – don’t assign virtue and value,” said Herb Reichert, an art appreciation teacher at the Brentwood Campus at Suffolk County Community College.  Reichert is a teacher that doesn’t teach just to pay the bills, he teaches to provide students an insight into life through his own personal experiences.

Reichert has a refreshingly unconventional approach to teaching, inspiring students by bringing attention to the underlying art that pervades and affects their everyday lives without them knowing it.  He teaches his students about the importance of living through the interactions with people and things in their lives, and he truly wants his class to make a lasting impact on their lives.
“I love the students – there’s something about them that I love, but can’t quite put my finger on it,” said Reichert, who stumbled upon his passion for teaching in 1999, when he received a call from Suffolk to teach art appreciation.  “I had never taught before, and didn’t think much of teachers growing up – I always thought they were dumb, I never would’ve guessed that I would become one of them,” Reichert admitted ironically.

The way he got his teaching job at Suffolk was just as unconventional as his teaching methods.  He was working as an art critic in New York harbor at the time, and had responded to a call from the Grant campus to come in and teach an art appreciation class Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.  He showed up early that Thursday morning to get his roster, faculty ID, and parking permit.  After teaching the class that day, he noticed a woman waiting by the door with a stack of papers in her hands.  She approached him saying, “We didn’t hire you to teach the class, we called you to come in to interview for the job.  But judging from what I just saw, we’re going to let you keep the class.”  Reichert, both surprised and excited, started to take his first class head-on.

Reichert is a jack-of-all-trades, accumulating a vast array of skills working as a carpenter, plumber, auto-mechanic, and art critic – just to name a few, before becoming a college professor.  This work experience is what gives him his eccentricity and down-to-earth demeanor that students immediately develop a relation and love for.

“I held in all bodily functions so I could stay in your class for the entire three hours,” said Brian B., a student in his art appreciation course at the Brentwood campus.

“I wish every one of my classes was like your class,” said another student, Cindy Castillo.  This adoration from his students showcases his natural propensity for teaching, but more importantly, speaks volumes about the quality of character that he possesses.
Reichert, 61, developed autism during his childhood in Chicago.  He has always had a passion for art, and if he weren’t teaching, he’d want to leave a legacy behind for his family artistically, particularly in photography.  He also enjoys sculpting and painting, but photography is special to him.  Reichert also teaches at Dowling, and although he may not leave a legacy behind in photography, his students would contend that he leaves a legacy in every classroom he teaches.

“Interacting with people, places and things is really the quality of life; interacting with the world in a mindful way – you will receive love, and want to give it in return,” preached Reichert, making it as transparent as possible that in the end, life is about friends and family, not material possessions.

3 Year Anniversary Celebrated With Vigil for Slain Immigrant

by Marvin Fuentes
Written on pamphlets that were handed out were the words, “In the Loving Memory of Marcelo Lucero.” This was the theme of the 3rd consecutive vigil held in memory of Marcelo Lucero on Nov. 6 when Long Island residents came together to share a message of peace and unity in Patchogue.
Three years later, Lucero’s death has had a rippling effect on all of Suffolk County. This past March, Suffolk County Legislature unanimously voted to pass a resolution called “Understanding, Accepting, and Respecting Our Cultural Differences Week,” dedicating a week long period in November to educate Long Islanders on understanding one another.
Eight months later, the first “Cultural Differences Week” has come and gone with Lucero’s vigil winding things down. “Cultural Differences Week” officially ended  Nov. 9 with the “Rally for Leadership to Make Suffolk County a Hate-Free Zone” in Smithtown.
Attended by about 100 people, the ripple caused by death of Lucero has remained strong and continues to touch people. With enormous banners promoting the message of peace and unity across the street at South Ocean Middle School, people arrived at 2:30 p.m. to the event greeted by the very appropriate music of John Lennon’s “Imagine.”
“I was a blogger. I came here to teach non-immigrants about immigrants when it happened,” said Lisa Votial-Tarrant, one of the event organizers who has been by Joselo Lucero’s side since his brother’s death. “Obviously I felt like I failed.”
Keeping up Lennon’s original message, event organizers invited representatives from a diverse selection of religions to read a prayer to the audience from their respective faiths, some speaking in both Spanish and English. Powerful original music courtesy of Rob Bruey and from youth group, Jack’s Waterfall were highlights of the afternoon.
Youth was a clear focus for organizers at the vigil. Letters from two recipients of the Patchogue Medford Marcelo Lucero Education Award were read, as they couldn’t be present while attending school. Members of the Village of Patchogue Youth also said a few prepared words in honor of Lucero. Both organizations asked audience members to donate or buy t-shirts to support their continued efforts.
The efforts to reach out to youth have remained a constant in the process towards the ideal future of a unified world. A better education from people in influential positions like teachers is one solution. “I came from a segregated school. I mean there were maybe two Puerto Ricans and one Dominican at my school,” said Votial-Tarrant. “We need to send kids home from school with tough questions to ask their parents because we never know what their parents may believe.”
Administrators at Suffolk County Community College seem to agree that education is key to universal understanding. Mentioned in a previous article, the Ammerman campus had a weeklong intolerance event during the spring 2010 semester. This year on Nov. 1, the Grant campus has participated in the “Cultural Differences Week” with a discussion hosted by the Long Island Organizing Network focusing on bullying, racism and discrimination. Also this year the Ammerman campus participated in the “Embracing Our Differences” project which included an art exhibit of 39 different works from amateur and professional artists in an effort to show their perspective on the message “enriching lives through diversity.”
As part of “Embracing Our Differences,” a screening of the recently released documentary “Not In Our Town: Light in the Darkness” was shown to students of Professor Steven Schrier’s POL 103 class.
The impression students seemed to have made during the preceeding discussion was that Patchogue was naive to think their town was safe and that discrimination didn’t happen elsewhere. “It’s unexpected, not shocking, but not out of the realm of possibility,” said Nick, a student of Schrier’s who chose not to give his last name.
Another impression from students was that in general people ignore things that happen around them instead of helping. “You see kids get picked on all the time,” said Nick.
Young adults aren’t ignorant if the discussion at the screening is any indication, but their communities still try to educate them on intolerance.
“I hope to do this more regularly. I’m happy with the turnout. I don’t think we’re going to let it stop. Joselo won’t let it stop,” said Votial-Tarrant. “I find him inspiring.”
Lucero’s brother, Joselo Lucero, took the stage of the vigil at its conclusion had these words for the audience. “This is what I wanted all along. People coming together and getting along,” he said.
With a banner reading “Culture of Peace, Esperanza, Hope,” Lucero, along with event organizers, led a march to the spot of his brother’s death. There, attendees of the vigil offered candles and flower pedals as “Amazing Grace” was sung in the background.