Southdown Teacher is
Man of the World
David Crimi is really into his job. In fact, he loves it. A second grade dual language teacher at Southdown Primary School, a career as an educator seems to have been in the stars for him.
Mr. Crimi's father, who was also a teacher, served in the Peace Corps in the late 1960s and his mother emigrated from Italy at age 23. "So I grew up with a global outlook and traveled whenever I could."
The Southdown teacher earned a BA in education and a BA in psychology from American University and later obtained an MA in educational administration through the College of New Jersey's international program in Mallorca, Spain.
"During a three-month backpacking trip through South America, I used my basic Italian to learn Spanish," Mr. Crimi said. "I met my wife, also a bilingual teacher, while we were both teaching in a public middle school in Queens. We went on to teach in international schools in rural Nigeria and then Karachi, Pakistan before I came to Huntington in 2002."
Mr. Crimi is well-liked by the entire Southdown School community. He is involved in every aspect of life there and is very effective in his classroom. It isn't at all a cliché to say Mr. Crimi has found a home at Southdown.
"My basic philosophy is student-centered," he said. "My actions stem from what's best for kids, period. Moreover, I realize that I have a special, albeit subtle responsibility: I'm one of a few males in the elementary classroom setting, so I am aware that I am a role model for many boys in my classes."
Mr. Crimi resides in South Huntington with his wife and their two boys, ages four and six. He enjoys camping, music, gardening, a good independent move, public television and radio, playing guitar and a good magazine, in no particular order.
"As a bilingual non-Hispanic, I have the advantage of having a foot in each of the two major cultures at Southdown," Mr. Crimi said. "But most importantly, while I enjoy teaching about language, environmental awareness, science, history and literature, I believe my true purpose as a teacher is not necessarily academic - instead it's to foster integrity, confidence and wonder in each child."