By Ellis Zelmanoff, June 16, 2011 — I am a “young” senior citizen 63 years of age who worked as a computer programmer for 20 years, among other accomplishments. I also worked with companies as Campbell’s Soup and Bellcore, the research arm of Bell Telephone in New Jersey. In addition, I had a 15-20 year tour of duty as a public school teacher in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, where I was an elementary school teacher for the School District of Philadelphia for pre-school thru 8th grade as well as an English as a Second Language teacher for grades K-3.
I take pride in teaching English as a second Language to students from foreign countries such as Ghana, Nigeria, Puerto Rico, and the former USSR since I had to take and complete a special graduate certification course at Holy Family College after school for two years. I attended at night from 8:00 to 10:00 PM on two days a week. I retired 2 years ago and wish I could still go back. My post-retirement years have not been what I had hoped for with an unpleasant divorce and nasty action from my last principal in the Philadelphia School District who deprived me from a teaching pension by 4 months. I am hoping for a turnaround in my “new” life as a senior with the help of institutions like the Senior Center and others in Center City Philadelphia.
Thank you for your kind listening to me.