After a two-year stint as Acting Supervisor of World Languages, Multilingual Learners, Music, & Family and Consumer Sciences and along with the completion of her Ph.D., Dr. Argine Safari has returned to the classroom.
Safari stepped into the supervisor role in January 2023, overseeing multiple departments at both Pascack Valley and Pascack Hills.
“I completed two years in the supervisory position,” Safari said. “It was a very rewarding experience. I really enjoyed getting to know the team members better.”
Though she has taught in the district for 20 years, this position gave her the opportunity to connect with different faculty members from a unique standpoint.
“I’ve been in the district for 20 years, but it was always teaching music, so it was great getting to know my colleagues on a different level,” Safari said.
During her time as supervisor, Safari also contributed to the district’s Multilingual Learners (MLL) program, specifically at Hills.
“It was a new project that I took initiative [of], basically creating a team to help those students and support them better,” Safari said.
Meanwhile, Safari was also pursuing her Ph.D. in Philosophy of Education.
“I focused specifically on developing music literacy skills in music classrooms,” she said. “I did research on the best ways to help students grow as musicians while being part of band, orchestra, or choir.”
Due to working at PV full time, Safari earned her Ph.D. using a hybrid learning model, with both online and in-person learning.
Part of the in-person learning was traveling around the United States to participate in research. This experience allowed her to connect with other educators.
“I had to do residencies in different states,” Safari said. “I was in Minneapolis, Massachusetts, and North Carolina, but mostly all of my studies were online. That way, I also met with people from all around the country and other countries. That was the best part, because it was like a big community.”
Safari’s Ph.D. journey actually began years before she immigrated to the United States. Originally from Armenia, Safari earned her master’s degree at the Moscow Conservatory in Russia.
At the time, she had to decide between continuing her studies in Moscow or moving to America with her family.
“I started the Ph.D. program there, and my chair was phenomenal, but I had my baby at the same time,” Safari said. “So as a young mother, we had this opportunity to immigrate to the United States. I had to make a choice whether to stay in this program or to leave with my family, and that was an obvious choice for me.”
Though the opportunity to complete her degree had since returned, it would have required her to live abroad for two years, which was not feasible. Instead, Safari shifted her studies to focus on music education in the United States.
“It’s shifted from me being a scholar in music theory and composition to music education and things that I can apply in my classroom,” she said.
Safari returned to teaching music classes on Jan. 2.
“I really appreciate being back in the classroom and getting to work with students directly,” Safari said. “Having that bird’s-eye view in my supervisory role made me a better educator. I feel more understanding and open-minded.”
As a supervisor, she worked at both Valley and Hills, giving her a unique perspective on the district’s community.
“In 2010 or 2011, I was actually swinging between Valley and Hills, so it was great to come back and see how different our communities are, and at the same time, how similar we are,” she said. “I personally think that we should do more things together, because our kids love collaborating and doing things together.”
Looking ahead, Safari hopes to remain involved in the district’s MLL program, along with continuing cross-curricular trips.
“I think I will be more involved with our multilingual community, because at Pascack Hills, we have had growth with our multilingual students,” she said. “I’ve also always been big on cross-curricular things, particularly this spring: we’re going to be doing another opera trip with music and Italian students.”
Safari explains that she was ready to return to the classroom.
“I was ready to come back, and I was actually looking forward to coming back, even though I had a phenomenal experience with my supervisory position,” Safari said. “I missed the students; I really did.”
Safari’s return has been met with enthusiasm from students.
“The students were very welcoming, and it gave me this totally different level of energy,” she said.
Safari is excited to continue teaching in the music department and making an impact in PV’s communities.
“I do believe that we have a very unique community here,” Safari said. “The music community is great because they feel like a family.”
