On Peter Kravitz’ first day as a teacher in an inner-city New York public school, a veteran principal taught him the mantra that would carry him through his next thirty-two years in front of classes: Treat the children as if they were your own.

Those nine words got Kravitz- Krav to his students-through three firings in one year, a banishment to the library, countless teenage dramas, a few tragic deaths, the impacts of 9/11 and Columbine on schools, dozens of high school journalism awards, and many, many visits to the principal’s office.

Krav’s path to teaching was a crooked one. During his college years, the Division 1 college wrestler was infected with a difficult-to-diagnose virus and found himself committed to a treatment facility for mental illness.

In time, forever changed by his experience, Kravitz resumed his trip along life’s road. He returned to college and ditched his accounting major. He met his future wife, Jennifer, and the pair lit out for adventures in Paris and elsewhere. After a short stint in journalism, he went into teaching. His proving ground: three of New York’s roughest Brooklyn High Schools.

As Kravitz struggled to help his students (and himself) to survive and thrive, he eventually found his footing in a Long Island high school as a teacher, coach and mentor, earning a reputation as a cool but effective educator with a permanent place in the hearts of many of his students and colleagues.

Of course, Krav didn’t get there without breaking a few rules, aggravating a few administrators, and introducing a few readings that may not have been in the approved curriculum … but what cool teach doesn’t?