John Bligh
- Retired Teacher
Abraham “Abe” Schneider, a longtime Bronx elementary school teacher who was known as a caring and creative educator for children with behavioral issues, died on Feb. 17 of congestive heart failure. He was 94.
Abe began his career in 1962 at PS 39 in the Bronx and transferred to PS 36 when PS 39 closed. Although he was not trained in special education, he was known for his rapport with kids who had behavior challenges. Long before “calm down corners” or sensory rooms, Abe outfitted a closet in his fifth-grade classroom as a retreat for students who were overwhelmed.
Gabrina Pearson, Abe’s daughter, recalled a particular student, Joe, who was troubled and prone to fights. Abe recognized that the child needed rest and food. He put a cot in the closet that Joe could use when he needed a break and a snack. “He thought outside of the box,” said Pearson, and “the child began to thrive.”
The school began to assign him the children who were struggling. “It became, ‘Mr. Schneider gets the challenging kids, because he knows how to handle them,'” said Pearson. Abe, who grew up in the Bronx during the Great Depression, had struggled in school himself — he was frequently truant – and served in the Army before attending college. Pearson believes that his early difficulties developed his empathy for students who were not thriving in a school setting.
Abe was the chapter leader at PS 36 for many years and didn’t hesitate to challenge the administration when one of the members was having an issue. “He felt like the Board of Ed too often got away with treating staff in a way that wasn’t right,” said Pearson. Abe always went to bat for his members, and the principal would sometimes retaliate by withholding a summer school position. “But he always got around it somehow and always found a summer job,” said Pearson.
Retirement, in 1987, didn’t slow Abe down. He was an avid runner and tennis player. He traveled extensively and ran a singles group called “Getting It Together” in Rockland County. In 2005, Abe reconnected with a PS 39 colleague, Jean Boda, and the two remained together until his death. “He was honored for being a 50-year union member in 2012,” recalled Boda. “He loved the UFT. He’d say, ‘It’s because of the union that a teacher can do so well.’ I had to tell him to stop bragging about it to his friends who weren’t teachers!”
Abe’s two daughters followed in his footsteps and now work for New York City schools, Pearson as a school counselor in the Bronx and Dr. Ariane Schneider as a school psychologist in Brooklyn.
Abe is survived by his longtime partner, Jean Boda; his daughters, Gabrina Pearson and Ariane Schneider; his granddaughter, Sabine Pearson; and a beloved niece, Doreen Blauschild.
Condolences can be sent to:
Gabrina Pearson
69 Maryton Road
White Plains, NY 10603
A kind man who I enjoyed knowing for many years.