New principal settles in at Watsessing

Shamshadeen Mayers, the 2023 Essex County Teacher of the Year while at Bloomfield High School, is the new principal at Watsessing Elementary School.

A Bloomfield resident, married with three children, he has been an educator for 16 years, the last seven in the district.

A 2003 graduate of BHS, prior to his district employment, he worked in a Newark charter school; in Harlem, as a special education teacher; and in the office of Sen. Frank Lautenberg.

Mayers took his undergraduate studies in political science at Kean University; he earned a master’s degree in education and special education at Hunter College; and a master’s degree in education administration at Caldwell University. Although a political science major in college who worked in the office of a U.S. senator, Mayers said, while he worked in government, he was looking to have more of an impact on young people’s lives.

“I wanted to be in the classroom to make a difference,” he said during a recent interview in his office.

As a BHS teacher, he taught a variety of advanced courses including Comparative Government and Politics; U.S. History; and Criminal and Social Justice, with teacher and attorney, the retired Lenore Imhof.

“Lenore Imhoff is a life-long mentor,” Mayers said. “She helped to foster a deep appreciation for education and teaching. I’d say she inspired me to be a teacher. She took a personal interest in me even after I graduated.”

Mayers was involved in an inner-city student enrichment program called, “Newark Summer Plus,” and led the kindergarten through eighth-grade programs. It gave him the opportunity to be a leader.

“In that role I saw the impact I could have on students outside the classroom,” he said.

A school principal, he said, should be the lead learner in the classroom; an instructional leader.

“All children can learn,” he said. “As educators, we have to find the way to help them. There are formal and informal ways. Standardized tests help, but we have to assess emotional needs, too.”

Coming to Watsessing, he knew it had a great faculty and a strong group of parents.

“It’s a school that is a family,” he said. “Any wise principal needs to find out how the school functions and come up with strategies for change. My goal coming here is to build off the strong foundation.”

He was especially pleased with the response by parents to his meet-and-greet in August and is exploring other possible ways for teachers, principal and parents to meet.

“If we’re going to grow, we have to do it in a partnership,” he said. “I’m going to reach out to parents to see how they are engaging with what we’re doing at school.”
Mayers is planning on getting more parents involved with the Watsessing Home and School Association and provide them with ways to help their children.

“I’m constantly meeting parents,” he said. “Personal connections are key to the relationships the parents will have with the school.”

As the Essex County Teacher of the Year, Mayers said this has given him access to state-wide initiatives that could help Watsessing School. Every month, the county winners meet with officials of the NJ Department of Education on Teacher Effectiveness. He shares the information with his school and district, including information on grants.

“Our role as teachers of the year is to support other teachers and celebrate our educators,” he said, “and that’s what I’ll be doing.”

What makes being the Watsessing principal especially rewarding to him, he said, is that he truly loves Bloomfield and serving the community where he lives. His three children attend Brookdale Avenue School.

“I get to Watsessing very early in the morning,” he said, “and first thing, I’m out front engaging students and parents. After that, I do my rounds and go to every single classroom and wish everyone a great day.”

Mayers believes the two challenges facing Watsessing students, and students in general, is technology and lost time from the pandemic.

“Technology is a tool, but it can be a distraction,” he said. “And we’re still dealing with COVID.”

Entering his office, there is a sign posted outside: “Ask me about my giant schnauzer, cycling and national parks.”

Mayers is currently obedience training his dog, “Midnight,” a giant schnauzer, and hopes to someday train therapy dogs.

Regarding cycling, he was turned on to it by Imhoff, at one time a professional cyclist. Mayers is a recreational cyclist who has done NYC bike tours. And he has worked for the National Parks Service for three years, training young people to be Junior Park Rangers.

“This was at the Great Falls, in Paterson, under a youth grant,” he said. “I couldn’t do it after I turned 36, so I went to the Summer Plus Program, in Newark. Watsessing has a half-day summer program. I hope to expand that.”

  bloomfield, Watessing