Retiree Spotlight Mrs. Tammy Rizzone-Bigaj

Today we bid a sincere farewell to another one of our distinguished retirees, Mrs. Tammy Rizzone-Bigaj, Elementary Learning Support Teacher.

Mrs. Bigaj attended D’Youville College where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education and Special Education.  She went on to earn a Master of Education in Teaching of the Deaf and Hearing Impaired at Canisius College. She then spent the next  31 years teaching, beginning her career in the Mayville Central School and then finishing here at Chautauqua Lake Central School. In regards to her Chautauqua Lake experience, she commented, “it has been amazing to be in the new building for most of my career.”

Mrs. Bigaj reminisced about why she became a teacher stating, “I have always enjoyed working with children. Since my first volunteer experience with the Special Olympics in high school, I knew that teaching is what I wanted to do. In high school, I was in the Future Teacher Club.  I got to volunteer in several different types of classrooms including kindergarten and high school. We accomplished this during our study hall periods, and I traveled to different school buildings within the Orchard Park school district. It definitely sealed my decision to be a teacher!”

Mrs. Bigaj shared that waking up every morning and working with her students was the best part of her job.  She stated, “teaching has been my dream and passion, and  I’m so lucky to have been able to fulfill my dream every single day through the support of my fellow teachers and administration.  My certification allowed me to work across many grades levels. Every year I taught something different even though I may have had the same students for more than one year.”  

Throughout her career, Mrs. Bigaj chaperoned many sporting and co-curricular events.  She was always willing to step up and supervise after school activities.  Tammy  enjoyed watching her students excel outside the classroom in sports and in chorus and band. She frequently attended and supervised her students' elementary and high school musicals, concerts and talent shows.  She holds dear to her heart “wonderful field trips” at places like Presque Isle, Lockport Canal and Stow Ferry/Bemus Point.  She feels that those types of trips make a positive  impact on her students' overall school experience. 

Colleague, Rebecca VanKeuren, shared heartfelt sentiments, “Tammy is a wonderful friend who would go out of her way to do anything for anyone. She is the nicest person I know and was always supportive.” Ms. VanKeuren spoke of her easy and pleasant demeanor. Rebecca shared that Tammy would take on any assignment she was given and met challenges with a positive attitude and a smile. 

Ms. VanKeuren stated, “Tammy is truly an amazing person who dedicates her full attention and time to the students she works with. She loves working with children and is going to miss working with students after she retires but has her first grandbaby to fill the void. She will be spending as much time as she can after retirement with her grandson. He is the joy in her life now!  I am truly going to miss seeing her smiling face with her positive attitude everyday.”  Rebecca noted that Tammy is very health and fitness focused and loves to swim, walk and take spin classes. She is also very environmentally conscious and recycles or passes along items that she no longer needs. She also enjoys gardening. We have no doubt her time in retirement will be spent on many worthwhile projects.

When Mrs. Bigaj was asked how she would spend her retirement she shared, “I’m thankful to assist in the care of several ailing members of my family.  I have agreed to offer home school infant care for my new and first grandbaby.  I will have an amazing teacher assistant to help me, and his name is grandpa. They are both great nappers.  My husband and I look forward to settling in our new home and making improvements to make it our own. We plan to travel in our free time.  Our plans are to explore National State Parks with my husband’s lifetime park pass. We will continue our exploration in September.  I will also get to visit my niece and nephew’s home in Seattle, Washington before our grandbaby's care begins.”

Mrs. Bigaj’s advice to new teachers is to “take one day at a time and put students first. Share with them how unique and important they are.  Help them use their strengths to compensate for or make improvements on their weaknesses. Teach them ways to tackle their weaknesses while they are learning new skills.” 

Chautauqua Lake thanks Mrs. Bigaj for three decades of dedication to our students! Tammy always put her students first and worked diligently to ensure they reached their full potential!  Tammy has a host of exciting endeavors that await her as she closes out an amazing teaching career.  Best wishes as she transitions into the next stage of her life!

Respectfully,

Josh Liddell