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Ronnie Schlesinger, one of Pinecrest Elementary school’s most beloved teachers, retired on December 31, 2020, after 29 years at Pinecrest and more than 30 years in the Miami Dade County Public School system.
Schlesinger has been dedicated to teaching her entire life and was especially thrilled to join the staff at Pinecrest Elementary in 1992. A colleague described her passion for teaching as “contagious.” For the past 15 years Schlesinger taught 5th grade gifted science and math.
Her approach to teaching featured developing strong math skills on a practical basis and a deep appreciation for science through a series of hands-on experiments implemented throughout the year.
Schlesinger served as a mentor not only to her students, but also her teaching colleagues, particularly for science curriculum as Science Liaison for the school. Most importantly, her mission was always to instill confidence, critical thinking aptitude and to prepare her students specifically for the challenges of middle school. Perhaps the most extraordinary aspect of her teaching was not just seeing “students” because she taught generations of families and interacted with many of their parents for years.
To this day, she sees parents, students, brothers, sisters and cousins from her past, all of whom are always eager to say hello. The end of each school year always brought an abundance of notes from parents expressing what she meant to their child and how much they learned from her.
Pinecrest Elementary’s Principal, Lynn Zaldua, has high praise for Schlesinger.
“She’s an amazing teacher,” says Zaldua . “She’s truly extraordinary. She’s the type of teacher who reaches every child and makes every child believe that they are her favorite student. She touches all of their hearts in one way or another and makes that connection with them where they want to work for her and make her proud. In my career she is one of the top teachers I have ever encountered.”
Long time friend and fellow teacher Sharon Altfield, who taught with Schlesinger for 25 years, also can’t say enough good things about her friend.
“Ronnie Schlesinger is a teacher’s teacher,” said Altfield. “I taught for 40 years, and the passion this woman had for her students and the teachers…Ronnie was the kind of teacher that if she was giving her kids a treat she would buy for every kid in the grade level. She was not in competition with the other teachers, she was there for the students. Her number one reason for being at the school every day was her students. She was the most compassionate. She taught both of my daughters, who will tell you she was one of the most engaging teachers. And they both have kept the projects she did with them. She was the epitome of the person who would never leave any child behind. She made kids feel they were never too young to make a difference in the world.”
Nicole Toister, a parent whose children were taught by Schlesinger, also greatly appreciated her extraordinary gift at teaching.
“My children were lucky enough over the years to be students in Ronnie Schlesinger’s classroom for either their Math or Science classes at Pinecrest Elementary,” says Toister.
“Ronnie always had a way of enhancing her lesson plans with her incredible math and science projects. She is a wonderful educator who made a special impact on my children’s education. Her innovative teaching style will be greatly missed but her positive impact will carry on in all those that she taught in her classroom. I wish her the best in her next adventure.”
Teacher Sabrina Abislaiman also commended Schlesinger.
“Simply put, Ronnie loved teaching. Her timeless best practices and passionate, relatable approach made the subjects she taught come to life, and inevitably students loved her classes. As a colleague, Ronnie was always helpful, reliable and empathic; as a mentor she is inspiring, and as a cherished friend she cares like a loving mom.”
Another parent, Julie Friedland, hated to see her go.
“Ronnie Schlesinger is truly a Pinecrest Elementary treasure,” said Friedland. “If my son could have taken her to middle school with him, he would have. Mrs. Schlesinger is compassionate, innovative, engaging and devoted. From balloon car racing to Halloween adventure experiments with dry ice, Mrs. Schlesinger engaged our children with ongoing fun and competitive STEM activities. Having been able to participate in class activities as room mom, Ronnie was a joy to work with. We still keep in touch today. We wish her all the best in retirement.”
