U.S. History is a core social studies course that is required once students at Cardozo reach 11th grade. During the most chaotic year of high school, juniors take the course to learn about the history of their country, while also preparing to become the future of their country. One of the teachers who students can learn this course material from is Mr. Brandow.
Mr. Brandow, who not only teaches a class but also coaches the girls softball team, has been teaching for 14 years in the Department of Education. Previously attending SUNY Cortland, Mr. Brandow decided to major in social studies education. “I always liked the content of social studies, always found it interesting, and I always thought it would be fun and entertaining to work with kids,” he explained.
He first worked at Beach Channel High School in Rockaway for three years, then he transferred to work at Cardozo. Cardozo, overall, is very different from Beach Channel, according to the social studies teacher. “I was excited to teach here because students actually wanted to learn,” he expressed.
For 11 years at Cardozo, he has been co-teaching with Mr. Casino. “We have a good system,” he explained. Aside from co-teaching, his personal goals with students in the classroom is, “To make sure that they had an enjoyable time in the class and it wasn’t all work and boredom.”
Being a history teacher and a big baseball fan, Mr. Brandow’s favorite historical figure is Babe Ruth. However, his favorite historical period to teach is The Progressive Era.
“I can make a lot of connections to what’s happening in today’s society and the kids seem to react to that and seem to be more engaged,” he explained.
With sports also being a huge part of his passion, it was a no-brainer for Mr. Brandow to coach both the boys soccer and girls softball teams at Cardozo. This is something he genuinely enjoys because he gets to know the boys and girls. “I think that helps me get to know them on a more personal level,” he explained.
When looking at his player performance on both his teams, he looks for a positive attitude. “If they want to be there and if they want to work then they will be successful ball players,” he explained. He also shared that it’s important to learn sportsmanship as well as the actual sport.
“Learning how to work with their teammates because there’s not a lot of time to figure out that the hardest part is the cohesiveness,” Mr. Brandow reflected. Coaching a game is always fun for him and he believes that no matter what, a game should always be fun. Winning is fun and feels good, but Mr. Brandow believes even a loss should be well executed and enjoyable.
Mr. Brandow’s favorite part of coaching is, “Seeing the kids having fun and learning different aspects of the game.” He also stresses to his athletes that school should come first before sports, when facing the challenge of balancing academics and sports. “You need to learn time management and you just have to learn time management and it teaches you a lot of responsibility to do both” he stated.
Looking back on his career and his life, one thing Mr. Brandow would tell his younger self is, “Always keep your head up, always work hard, and persistence is key.”
