East Harlem principal integrates pet therapy, yoga and chess into curriculum
Sandra Gittens, principal of Public School 102, established a pet therapy program for kids with behavioral problems, implemented yoga moves between classes and has a mandatory chess class requirement for kids in kindergarten through fifth grade. Her innovations over 11 years on the job earned her a nomination in the Hometown Heroes in Education awards.
For most of her 29 years in the Education Department, Sandra Gittens committed herself to making East Harlem schools better — even if that meant bringing an unconventional leadership style.
At Public School 102, where she has been principal for the last 11 years, Gittens established a pet therapy program for kids with behavioral problems, an urban garden and a mandatory chess class for kids in kindergarten through fifth grade.
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The Bayside resident’s innovative ideas and dedication to her students — many come from the nearby Jefferson Houses on E. 115th St. — make Gittens a contender for a Hometown Heroes in Education award.
“We try to deal with the whole child, so if there are health issues or social issues, we deal with that,” said Gittens, 62. “Obviously, we work on the academics, we work on the arts. We try to give everything to everybody.”
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In the pet therapy program, a social worker brings in comfort dogs for the students to look after.
“They just sit with the dogs and learn how to care for them, and it’s a way of learning how to care for yourself and others,” said Gittens.
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Kids are also encouraged to read to the docile animals.
“The dogs are nonjudgmental — they don’t correct (students) when they make mistakes,” said Gittens. “If they have a stuttering problem, (the dogs) still listen to them. It’s a nice experience for the children.”
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Gittens and her faculty promote healthy living and try to integrate physical fitness into the whole day — students even do yoga exercises between classes.
“They need some movement in between sitting all the time,” Gittens said. “Not every school, I think, worries about the children in terms of nutrition and health and physical fitness. So we try to incorporate that.”
In between all the grant writing to bring various programs and special instruction to the B-rated school, Gittens also started a gifted and talented program, now in its third year.
The retiring principal said she was inspired by the exceptional education her son, now grown, received in District 26 in Queens.
“I spent a lot of years trying to make it equitable between District 26 and District 4,” said Gittens, referring to the Harlem school district. “I saw what I have here, and what I was able to give my child, and I think everybody deserves the same.”
clestch@nydailynews.com
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