By Remy Gardner
CCC Journalism Program
BLACKWOOD – The friendliest man with the biggest heart and smile. These are the first words that come to mind when describing Professor Irving Horowitz, 64, a Brooklyn, N.Y. native who currently resides in Sewell, N.J.
He is an adjunct math professor at Camden County College, where he has been teaching at for seven years. He began his teaching career in the rough and tough Bedford-Stuyvesant, N.Y. as a high school math teacher. Horowitz initially wanted to be a civil engineer, but when schooling for civil engineering did not work out, he went into teaching.
“I enjoy the interaction I have with the students.” Horowitz said when describing his favorite thing about teaching. The fondest memory he has about his career is that the year he retired from teaching high school math, the senior class at graduation honored him as their favorite and most helpful teacher. When asked what his biggest accomplishment during his teaching was, he answered surviving teaching high school math in Bedford-Stuyvesant. He taught there for 34 years.
The one thing that Horowitz would have done differently during his teaching would be getting more involved with technology at an earlier time. “Later on I started using it – and it’s nice, but initially there was not that much technology around,” he said.
If Horowitz could give any advice to up and coming math teachers, he would advise that if one were going to be teaching in a high school level, to get a degree in that subject and get as much math in as possible. “Even if you’re not going to teach all of the material, it will help with the subject matter,” he stated. “Most of all, be prepared. Read the books, do research, set up lesson plans, and always be prepared.”
The most important lesson Horowitz has learned while teaching is that most students can be encouraged to do better than they really think they can do.
“I think he’s awesome,” said Deryl Allen, a communications major at Camden County College. “He explains everything thoroughly. He will make sure that everyone understands the lesson before he moves on. With Professor Horowitz as my teacher, this is the best that I have ever done in math.”
In Horowitz’s spare time when he is not focused on math, he enjoys reading books, particularly fiction novels, and spending time with his family. He also likes to find time to garden. For a professor who has taught for 41 years total, he always stays positive and cheerful, all the while never, ever losing his smile.