Students and teachers alike regard Pascack Valley as a family. This year, a PV father and son faculty duo embrace this sentiment.
Special Education teacher David Giraldo joins the Valley community alongside his father and longtime PV custodian, Diego Giraldo.
“My dad would always compliment the school for the tight-knit family community that it has,” Giraldo said. “I always told myself, if something opened up here, I would attempt to get a job here and join the community.”
Giraldo values working with his father and the increased time spent together.
“I get to see him every single day,” Giraldo said. “It’s amazing because I don’t live at home anymore, so it’s just really special that I get to spend a lot more time interacting with my dad, even if it’s just a hello in the hallways.”
According to Giraldo, his interest in special education was sparked during his time as a student at Dumont High School through his involvement with a club called PALS (Peers as Leaders). Around the holidays, the group would visit a community of adults with special needs to work, play games, and participate in various activities with them.
“I just fell in love with the aspect of teaching and being around special needs learners,” Giraldo said.
After graduating from high school, Giraldo attended The College of New Jersey, earning his bachelor’s degree in Integrative STEM Education and his master’s in Special Education. He then taught at Glen Rock High School for five years.
This year at Valley, Giraldo is teaching three Geometry classes and two Study Skills classes. He values the unique experiences he has every day with his students.
“My favorite aspect of being a teacher is that the interactions you have every day are new,” Giraldo said, “It keeps me on my toes, and it keeps me excited to come back every day.”
Since his arrival, Giraldo has felt immense support from PV faculty.
“The Special Ed office has been really nice in receiving me and being helpful,” Giraldo said. “The administration has been kind; the support staff, custodians, secretaries, everyone from top to bottom has really treated me like part of the PV community, so it’s just been a really great experience thus far.”
Regarding the students, Giraldo feels connected to his freshman classes due to their shared newness.
“I’ve been telling my freshmen that I’m a freshman too,” Giraldo said. “It’s funny, some of them walk to class with me if we have the same class back-to-back because they’re trying to learn how to get to class, and I’m also trying to learn how to get to class and navigate the building.”
Whether it be by coming out to PV sporting events or plays, Giraldo is also looking forward to getting to know his students better outside of the classroom by supporting them in extracurricular activities.
“The climate, culture, and family aspect is well known here,” Giraldo said. “I’m just looking forward to becoming a part of that.”
