Huntington Highlights: Patrice Monks Builds Lasting Bonds with Students

Patrice Monks grew up in North Bellmore and graduated from Mepham High School, but the Jack Abrams STEM Magnet School fourth grade teacher has been pure Huntington UFSD for the past 27-plus years becoming well known throughout the community for being a remarkably gifted educator.

“I always wanted to be a teacher since I was a very little girl,” Ms. Monks said. “I never wanted to be anything else. I had a chalkboard in my basement and I played school every day after school for years.”

Ms. Monks said she was the fifth daughter in her family and her teachers never really got to know her. “They called me by my sisters’ names and because I was a quiet, good student, they very rarely interacted with me,” she said. “I would sit in my classrooms and dream of how I would teach the class and talk with my students when I became the teacher. My goal was to look each one of my future students in the eye on a regular basis and really get to know who they were and what they loved.”

The Huntington faculty member’s first teaching job was in a second grade classroom in Norfolk, Virginia in 1987. “When I had my own classroom for the first time, I was in absolute heaven,” she said.

The Jack Abrams School faculty member is the sixth teacher or staff member to be profiled as part of a new “Huntington Highlights” initiative that provides community members with insight into teachers and support staff members who toil at the district’s eight individual school buildings.

Ms. Monks obtained a bachelor’s degree at Stony Brook University in 1986. She completed an elementary education master’s certification program at Kean College of New Jersey in 1987 and earned a Master of Science in Reading/Special Education degree at Adelphi University in 2002.

“Ms. Monks is a special educator who is deeply dedicated to nurturing meaningful, lasting bonds with her students, guiding them with patience, compassion, and unwavering commitment,” Principal Donna Moro said.

Ms. Monks has taught at Southdown Intermediate School, Woodhull Intermediate School, Southdown Primary School and Jack Abrams STEM Magnet School. She has taught fourth grade for all 27 years in the district.

“My experience in Huntington has changed my life,” Ms. Monks said. “I have worked with and been supported by the most incredible teachers who have become like family to me. The best part of teaching in Huntington for the past 27 plus years has been the hundreds of students that I have had the privilege of spending my days with. Each and every one of my former students holds a special place in my heart. They have enriched my life more than I ever could have imagined. I will always be grateful for my unforgettable teaching career- it was even better than my younger self dreamed it would be.”

Ms. Monks’ two adult children, Becca and Tommy are both Huntington High School graduates.

“Patrice is committed to making a deep connection with each of her students and their families and creating a magical environment where students feel seen, valued and important,” Ms. Moro said. “For Ms. Monks, that connection begins before she even meets her students. Every summer she prepares welcome materials for her new students that includes something students can wear or attach to their backpack on the first day of school. It might be a Hawaiian Lei or a trinket to attach to their backpack. Her hope is that students riding the bus on the first day of school can identify fellow classmates. For most of her 25 year career, Ms. Monks hand delivered the welcome packet herself to each students’ home. She would introduce herself and welcome them to her class. When students arrive to school on the first day of school, the magical setting hits them as soon as they get to her hallway.”

Ms. Monks is well known for her elaborate door and class decorating. “Her commitment to her students and the connection she forms doesn’t end when the students leave her class,” Ms. Moro said. Each year in January, Ms. Monks prepares a special letter for her students that are graduating seniors. The letter includes a class picture as well as individual pictures from when they were in class with Ms. Monks. The high school secretaries have shared that it is their favorite day of the year when all the kids are called to the main office to get their letters from Ms. Monks.”

Outside of work, Ms. Monks loves spending time with family and friends, shopping, boating, going to the movies, going out to dinner and traveling. “I’m looking forward to traveling all over the world with my husband when I retire,” she said.