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03/23/2016 08:30 AMWhile Barbara Pendziwater has been teaching in the East Haven school district for the past 32 years, her history in East Haven schools dates back to when she was small. Barbara grew up in East Haven and her 3rd-grade teacher, Mary Mack, influenced Barbara’s career path.
“She was my favorite teacher and I remember saying to her, ‘I want to be a teacher just like you,’ and that was a goal throughout my life,” says Barbara. “She made every child feel special.”
Barbara’s mind never wavered as she earned her teaching degree and returned to her hometown to be a teacher just like Mrs. Mack. While Barbara had always pictured herself teaching 3rd grade like Mrs. Mack, she has taught grades 2 through 8, but not 3rd, spending many years teaching 5th and 6th grade. She has also taught kindergarten.
Early in Barbara’s teaching career, she took some time off when her sons were born. One of her friends recommended she apply for a part-time position at the Willoughby Wallace Memorial Library in Stony Creek.
“I didn’t take it too seriously, but before you know it, I was hired,” says Barbara. “When it was time to go back to teaching, the head librarian said, ‘You’re not going to leave us, are you?’ and I’ve been working two jobs since then.”
After a full day at school, Barbara works at the library from 5 to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday as well as on Saturdays. Knowing of her many years of experience working in the library, then-superintendent of East Haven Schools at the time Marty DeFelice got in touch with Barbara.
“He had heard I was working part-time in a public library and he was looking for a librarian at one of our schools,” says Barbara. “They’d had so many librarians in a short time, so he was looking for someone who was committed to the town.”
After thinking about it for the weekend, Barbara accepted the job at Melillo Middle School’s library and has been there for the past 16 years. In addition to her two jobs, she also went to night classes to get her sixth-year degree in library science.
“I get to work with all the kids in the school,” says Barbara. “I enjoy working with the kids and helping them select the right book for them. I also teach a lot of classes with teachers—there’s a lot of collaboration.”
Barbara, a self-proclaimed “avid reader,” loves to encourage children’s love of reading. There is a chart at school with the students’ names and for every book read from October to March, students are awarded a pizza from Pizza Hut. Barbara also gives them “Buzz Bucks” when they finish a book.
“We give out Buzz Bucks to encourage positive behavior in students so I give them one for finishing a book,” says Barbara. “They can then use them for different activities.”
While Barbara has worked in the town she grew up in for more than three decade, she and her family moved to Branford in 1978. She and her two sons still have connections to East Haven beyond Barbara’s job at Melillo Middle School as her parents and sister still live in town. Barbara spends a lot of time helping to care for her parents, who are in their 90s.
Barbara has also enjoyed getting to know the residents of Branford through her job at the Stony Creek library. In 2005, Barbara won New York Times Librarian of the Year. More than 1,200 were nominated for the award and 27 won.
“When she called I thought they were trying to sell newspapers and when she told me, I was so ecstatic I couldn’t believe it,” says Barbara. “A woman who used to come in wrote such a nice letter about me and how I make everyone who comes through the doors feel welcome. It was certainly was an honor and certainly the highlight of my life.”
Now Barbara is enjoying her time with both of her jobs. She is also enjoying seeing students come in who are the children of former students she has had.
“I’m seeing the second generation now—it’s great to see the kids growing and you just hope you made some kind of impression with them,” says Barbara. “As long as I’m physically able, I’ll stick with it for a while. I enjoy what I’m doing.”