Congratulations!

     OCM BOCES would like to congratulate and thank one of its dearest and most dedicated literacy instructors, Nancy Jastemski, who will be officially retiring this month after 36 years of service. She is planning to work part-time at OCM BOCES this summer.
     Nancy has served as a pillar of literacy instruction, helping hundreds of students earn high school equivalency diplomas and improve their lives in a myriad of ways.
     Adult Education Coordinator Mari Ukleya said Nancy “has a kind and quiet manner that helps students feel safe and confident, allowing them to excel.” 
     Students also enjoy her sense of humor, her caring nature, her organized classroom and her insistence that all students know each other’s names – an environment that creates a family atmosphere and many lifelong friendships.
     “I love what I do – absolutely love it,” Jastemski said. “I love to see how their lives progress and I feel like I am a part of that. It is very life-changing.”
     Jastemski stays in touch with her students, and they keep tabs on each other. Graduation ceremonies bring back the fondest memories, when hard-won accomplishments were recognized and celebrated. One student, she recalls, danced across the stage. Others – seven in all – have earned statewide accolades as accomplished adult learners.
     As a native of Syracuse, Jastemski earned her teaching degrees from SUNY Oswego and Syracuse University. Her certification is in special education. Except for one job near Buffalo, her entire career has been at OCM BOCES, teaching.
    For that reason, Jastemski’s plans for retirement will not take her away from the job entirely. She will continue to work part-time but have the flexibility to visit her two grown children and their families, who all live in Tampa, Fla.
     She praised her colleagues for making the job so enjoyable.
     “I have a wonderful team,” she said. “I love the people I work with and that makes a big difference.”