East Meadow teacher made a new kind of biz class to serve kids' needs

Kristen O’Brien has found ways to challenge the sixth-grade special-education students in her class at W. T. Clarke Middle School. But she came across a problem that required her to challenge herself to come up with a solution.

She said her business course, with a focus on computers and technology training, wasn’t serving students who also needed to work on their social interactions and fine motor skills like dexterity and coordination.

“I knew we could build on those deficits with the right approach, and when I looked around the classroom, an idea came to mind,” O’Brien, 45, recalled in a phone interview. “We had so much incredible technology machinery in that room, and I thought it would be great to fuse it all together somehow into a single project that felt meaningful.”

With the support of her administration, O’Brien put together a new model business program that struck a chord with the class as well as teachers, staff and students throughout the building.

“For this project, students come up with an idea for an item to produce — usually arts-and-crafts projects — collect staff orders, produce the items and personally deliver them throughout the school, providing hands-on experience that strengthens business and leadership skills in meaningful, real-world ways,” said O’Brien, who began teaching at the school four years ago. “It also allows them to interact with adults and other students in a professional manner and safe environment, and to learn to collaborate.”

Each month, O’Brien’s class makes a limited supply of 30 to 40 pieces and receives orders for every one. Only one type of product is offered, yet, being handcrafted, each is unique. “Part of their beauty is they aren’t perfectly consistent,” O’Brien said. “Still, you get an idea of what skills the children have combined to create the product such as painting, cutting, gluing and adding sparkles.” No money is exchanged for the products, which are complimentary.

The class’s most successful product to date was from last year’s December holiday season, noted O’Brien. “I sourced some pine wood from the bottom of Christmas trees, which a colleague and I chopped into disks. The students sanded and painted them into snowman ornaments, and everyone found them to be a warm, seasonal craft to receive.”

Principal Elizabeth Dowling called O’Brien “an innovative and creative educator who continually seeks new ways to challenge and inspire her students,” adding that O’Brien is known for “professionalism and artistic flair.”

O’Brien, of South Huntington, also oversees the school’s video announcements, serves as multimedia adviser for the school’s twice-a-month news program and is the school’s yearbook adviser and webmaster. 

O’Brien has been a New York City Public Schools art and computer science teacher before landing her current position. She also teaches seventh- and eighth-grade technology.