{"id":498602,"date":"2026-01-07T09:33:26","date_gmt":"2026-01-07T09:33:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/498602\/"},"modified":"2026-01-07T09:33:26","modified_gmt":"2026-01-07T09:33:26","slug":"newly-appointed-nyc-schools-chancellor-kamar-samuels-visits-bronx-school-where-he-began-teaching-career-bronx-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/498602\/","title":{"rendered":"Newly appointed NYC Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels visits Bronx school where he began teaching career \u2013 Bronx Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

New Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels spent his first morning at his new job with students and teachers P.S.\/M.S. 194<\/a> in the Bronx \u2014 familiar territory for the new leader of America\u2019s largest public school system.<\/p>\n

Samuels, who was recently appointed chancellor by Mayor Zohran Mamdani, began his educational career at P.S.\/M.S. 194 in 2001 as a sixth-grade math teacher. The school, located in Westchester Square, serves students from kindergarten to eighth grade and houses a secondary school for children with severe special education needs.<\/p>\n

The new chancellor listened to parents\u2019 concerns about wanting to be more involved in the classroom, as well as discussing the need for teachers to have more resources available to them. He even heard from a concerned fourth grader who asked Samuels to fix her school\u2019s playground that \u201cwasn\u2019t fancy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Samuels recalled how difficult it was to be a teacher, spending hours planning his students\u2019 lessons.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to help teachers have a roadmap,\u201d he said during the community listening session. Additionally, it can begin when they first graduate from their teaching programs or through mentorships within their own schools.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the only thing that helped me get better,\u201d Samuels added.\n<\/p>\n

How Samuels reached the top of NYC public schools
\n\"\"Kamar Samuels was recently chosen to run the largest public school system in the country by Mayor Zohran Mamdani. He discussed his future plans for the school system in an exclusive interview with the Bronx Times. Photo by Ramy Mahmoud<\/p>\n

Chancellor Samuels was born in Jamaica and moved to New York City at the age of 16.<\/p>\n

Samuels didn\u2019t always want to be a teacher. He studied accounting at Baruch College and worked as a finance manager at the National Basketball Association. He described the moment he knew he wanted to be a teacher to be an \u201caha moment\u201d in an exclusive interview with the Bronx Times.<\/p>\n

Samuels studied to be an accountant because he knew he was good at math but while in college, he tutored disabled students and felt a draw to helping others.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cQuite frankly, I hated it,\u201d Samuels said about working as a finance manager.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember being in the train one day, coming up on the 4 train, and I looked up and there was an ad that said \u2018You remember your first grade teacher\u2019s name. Who will remember yours?\u2019 That night, I filled out the [teacher educator program] application and in three months, I was in a classroom,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Samuels added that he\u2019s excited to implement policies that will lower class sizes and increase programs that will attract more professionals to become teachers.
\n\"\"Kamar Samuels, the newly elected NYC Public Schools Chancellor, as a sixth grade math teacher in 2001. Photo by Ramy Mahmoud\n<\/p>\n

After making a difference in classrooms, Samuels went on to serve as principal of the Bronx Writing Academy, senior leadership roles within New York City Public Schools<\/a> (NYCPS) and later as a deputy superintendent in Brooklyn and superintendent in Brooklyn\u2019s Fort Greene, Brooklyn Heights, Clinton Hill and parts of Bedford-Stuyvesant along with Manhattan\u2019s Upper West Side, Morningside Heights and parts of Harlem.<\/p>\n

He then led his district to implement NYC Reads\u2014an initiative that contributed to a 5% increase in literacy outcomes.\n<\/p>\n

In addition, he led school integration efforts through rezoning, mergers of small schools co-located in the same building, and other \u201cculturally responsive educational practices,\u201d according to the New York City Department of Education.<\/p>\n

Samuels has also led efforts to move away from gifted and talented programs amid concerns from parents about racial disparities within the program and preferred to implement International Baccalaureate<\/a> (IB) programs districtwide as a more inclusive approach to gifted education for talented students.<\/p>\n

\"\"New York City schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels helping students during his visit to P.S.\/M.S. 194 in the Bronx. Photo by Ramy Mahmoud<\/p>\n

Samuels spent the day going around the school\u2019s campus, popping his head into classrooms to see what the students were working on. On occasion, he would revert to teacher mode, trying to help students with their work. At the end of his tour, school administrators surprised him with a visit to his old classroom.<\/p>\n

He looked around his old sixth-grade classroom, seemingly to take it all in. \u201cWow,\u201d Samuels said. \u201cI can\u2019t believe this was it.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

One of Samuels\u2019 star students, Abdulla Mumen\u2014 who is now an Assistant Director of Finance at Montefiore Health System \u2014 said it was Samuels\u2019 belief in him that made him want to succeed. It was Samuels who helped Mumen make the honor roll for the first time<\/p>\n

\u201cWe grew up at a time when our fathers couldn\u2019t spend a lot of time with us because they were busy working,\u201d Mumen said. \u201cHe [Samuels] started a curriculum where we played soccer in the morning, soccer in the afternoon.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"New York City Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels with his former student Abdulla Mumen, who is now an Assistant Director of Finance at Montefiore Health System. Photo by Ramy Mahmoud<\/p>\n

Mumen added that Samuel\u2019s routine taught him discipline and how to prepare for the real world. He continues those lessons 19 years after the class ended.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is part of the reason I\u2019m successful, it\u2019s because I have people like him [Samuels] in my life,\u201d he said. \u201cThis man had a big impact on me. One of the best math teachers I ever had.\u201d<\/p>\n

During the community listening session, Samuels said as the new Chancellor, his highest priority is to listen to parents\u2019 concerns and engage them in the process of their students\u2019 learning much earlier than they have been.<\/p>\n

Samuels said his team will be visiting all five boroughs of NYC and 45 districts to hear more from parents, teachers, and schools about their needs. \u201cWe\u2019re here today to hit the ground listening,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"\"NYC Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels posed with a student at the school where he started his career as a teacher. P.S.\/M.S. 194 serves students kindergarten to eighth grade and houses a secondary school for children with severe special education needs. Photo by Ramy Mahmoud<\/p>\n

Reach Lesley Cosme Torres at lcosmetorres@schnepsmedia.com<\/a>. For more coverage, subscribe to our\u00a0newsletter<\/a>\u00a0and follow us on\u00a0Twitter<\/a>,\u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Instagram<\/a>!<\/p>\n

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