New Clear Stream principal ready to go
Promises to bring stability to elementary school
Education wasn’t John Singleton’s first choice of careers. But the new principal of Clear Stream Avenue is glad he made the switch.
After growing up in Baldwin and graduating from Highland High School in Queens, he went on to Georgetown University, majoring in government. Most people who study government Singleton said, are either interested in law or history. He chose the former, and worked at various law firms in New York City for a few years.
It wasn’t for him. Singleton went back to school and got his master’s degree in education from Queens College. His first job was as a special education teacher at Renaissance Middle School in St. Albans, Queens. He had students from three grades, all boys, in his classroom, and by October was their third teacher of the year. “They took one look at me and figured I was also going to have a one-way ticket out of the room,” Singleton said.
But he refused to give up on the students. Each child was asked to submit a name for the group, and when Singleton reached into a hat, he pulled out the name “Lions.” Perfect, he said. Singleton took out every book from the library on lions and taught students about the philosophy of the king of the jungle, which travels in a pride.
The principal and other teachers, Singleton said, were astounded at how the class turned around. “I just gave them something to be believe in,” he said. “Giving students something to believe in will carry them further than any school book can.”
It’s a story Singleton remembers because it keeps him grounded and reminds him why he is in the education business.
After a few years in Queens, he became a social studies teacher at South Side High School in Rockville Centre. He was also the advisor to the African-American Club which he later renamed SCALE — Students Climbing Another Level Ethnically. “We became one big club that celebrated everybody’s culture,” he said.
After six years in Rockville Centre, Singleton became the social studies coordinator in Lynbrook. He spent seven years there and also was put in charge of the English Language Arts program this past year, supervising 36 teachers in seven buildings.
