Middle School Psychologist
Know Your Pelicans
How long have you worked at Packer?
I have been the Middle School Psychologist for eighteen years. It's the best job I've ever had!
What's a Packer story, tip or trick that you want to share with the community?
Soup day in the Packer cafeteria is so good that I once snuck a soup out of the building and gave it to a friend who works in the neighborhood. He was blown away. The tomato bisque is no joke!
Tell us something you love about your work or about a time you found your job especially rewarding.
I think working at Packer is an incredible gift. In my role, I get to work with students when they enter middle school as kids and see them develop and grow into amazing young adults when they graduate high school. My role as the middle school psychologist involves working with pre-teens and adolescents. It is a complicated time that should not be taken for granted and it is really rewarding to be able to work with students during this period in their lives. I always love running into former students. I was recently at an event in Manhattan and a woman in her late twenties came up to me and said, "Dr. Josh, I remember talking with you when a friend and I were having a conflict when were eleven-years old!" These moments always brighten my day.
Has Packer taught you anything interesting about yourself? About your students?
I think that working at Packer has taught me how much I value community. Packer has a very supportive community and I am always amazed at the level people will go to support one another – particularly during challenging times. Our faculty, students and families always come together when it really matters and I feel lucky to be surrounded by such a caring and nurturing group of people.
Outside of your job at Packer, what do you love to do?
I am a classic rock fanatic and love listening to music. I have a particularly deep knowledge about the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan. I also love movies and theater and I really enjoy going to concerts and visiting all the amazing museums in New York City. I recently saw Madonna at the Barclays Center and went to the Spike Lee exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum. New York is amazing!
If you didn't work in your role at Packer, what would you be doing instead?
I love comedy and I think I would try being a stand up comic – I'm just afraid I might get heckled off the stage!