Title: Educator (Retired)

Company: The New York City Department of Education

Location: New York

At the age of 45, Ms. Winstead-Gaston chose to return to school to demonstrate by example the importance of a good education, which was enforced by her mother early on in her life. Her mother cleaned houses for a living and worked as a school crossing guard, and both of her parents had bigger dreams for their children. Ms. Winstead-Gaston remembers the day she and her sister were caught cutting school by their father. When he discovered that they had chosen to watch cartoons at home instead of staying in class, he made their punishment to clean every house in the neighborhood. He told them that this is what they would be doing for the rest of their lives if they did not get a good education.

This obviously made an impact on Ms. Winstead-Gaston as she went on to complete an impressive college education and become a teacher herself. She first attended Marymount College, eventually earning a Bachelor of Science in political science in 1975. Years later, she chose to study at The College of New Rochelle, and this pursuit resulted in a Master of Science in education, with a concentration in special education, in 1988. After spending some time in the field, Ms. Winstead-Gaston decided to return to school once more in order to realign her education with her new interests in the teaching profession. She studied administration and supervision at Bankstreet’s Principals Institute, and received a Master of Education in 2002.

Ms. Winstead-Gaston is now a certified school district administrator and accredited as a mentor instructor. She is also certified to teach specifically within New York state, and has done so for the last six years. She has spent this time with The New York City Department of Education, where her aptitude for leadership, and academic administration and instruction is apparent. Ms. Winston-Gaston displays particular talents for literacy, special education, and foreign and bilingual programs as well.

In her current role, she serves as a resource specialist and test coordinator, and it is her job to develop District 11 science curriculum for kindergarten through 12^th-grade classes. She mentors new teachers on graduate courses and aids them in improving literacy skills, and she trains a total of 200 incoming fellows. In addition, Ms. Winstead-Gaston assists in the operations of a summer internship program, establishes numerous workshops, and implements and supervises classroom teachers.

In the past, she has mentored teachers at P.S. 83 and taught science, Spanish and English literacy. She has also spent time with the UFT Teacher Center, working as an MS for District 10, and served as a mentor for a fellows program in collaboration with Mercy College. At the moment, Ms. Winstead-Gaston is tutoring a woman who has been struggling to obtain a GED.

Having spent 26 years in education, Ms. Winstead-Gaston is getting ready to retire. She has been tutoring children and adults since 1986, and has done a great deal of public speaking on professional development. When she retires, she plans to open a school for girls, write a book and travel. Her ultimate goal is to continue to make a difference throughout her life.

She advises young women beginning careers in the educational sector to stay focused and be passionate about working with children. Her own success is a result of ongoing efforts to learn new things, and she encourages others seeking advancement to read journals, and attend seminars and conferences.