Kohl McCormick Early Childhood Teaching Awards
Rosemary Mangosing
Our Lady of the Gardens
13300 S. Langley Avenue
Chicago
Second Grade
Rosemary Mangosing may be the new face of Chicago Catholic schoolteachers. A young woman of Filipino and Italian descent, Mangosing is devoted to her African-American second graders in Altgeld Gardens on Chicago's far south side.
"Every child is a genius," says Mangosing. "I didn't believe that when I came into this profession—I thought I would be responsible for creating geniuses. But when I began teaching, my perspective changed. I've learned a lot about the genius of children from some amazing teachers, and some of the best of them hadn't even reached second grade."
Mangosing began her teaching career as an Inner-City Teaching Corps recruit assigned to Our Lady of the Gardens School. “Initially, I was going to pursue a career in writing,” recalls Mangosing. Instead, she found her calling. “I fell in love with the students, parents and community.” Mangosing’s initial volunteer stint of two years has stretched to six years of increasingly innovative teaching.
Such innovations have included the creation of an African-American History Museum. This project challenged the children to use a variety of skills and, perhaps more importantly, helped the children build self-esteem. The class charged museum visitors a dime admission fee, which then was donated to a local shelter. In fact, the children take on monthly service projects with incredible enthusiasm. They’ve made snack bags for the homeless, collected warm clothing for those in need, gathered books for a children’s hospital, and even sent a goat, through Heifer International, to a village in Uganda!
Mangosing’s class isn’t alone in their generosity. A few years ago, Mangosing herself began a minor scholarship fund that helps families with small monetary needs. With it, she has bought backpacks, paid for field trips, and helped graduates of the school pay for tuition and living expenses.
In her classroom, Mangosing’s primary focus is always literacy. That focus is designed to not only provide her students with reading and writing skills, but also help them build self-esteem. One example is the “Black is…” book that her students created. The children were prompted to complete the sentence “Black is…” and the responses included: “Black is captivating,” “Black is a part of God,” and “Black is anything it wants to be.” By involving parents, by having them read the books and write their comments, the project provided a powerful approach to address literacy, pride, and family involvement in the educational process.
Mangosing has made herself an important part of the community outside her classroom as well. The diminutive teacher stands tall as an assistant basketball coach for the seventh- and eighth-grade girls’ basketball team. She is also a mentor to new teachers and is involved in the Community Service Club. “She is really committed!” exclaims parent Deana Dixon.