Lab at BC3 recognizes an extraordinary career
On Wednesday, April 16, Butler County Community College officially opened the Dr. Robert L. Paserba Teaching and Learning Lab, dedicated to training the next generation of educators.
The lab offers classroom space, workspace and space for students to collaborate on projects or lesson plans. The idea is an excellent one, and its name honors the decades of work of an educator.
Paserba, who was present for Wednesday’s ceremony, became a teacher in the 1960s and spent 18 years working for the Butler Area School District, including 10 years as superintendent.
He would go on to serve as superintendent of Pittsburgh Catholic Schools, as well.
Paserba credits his education in Butler County with his outlook.
“Growing up in Butler County, we were all privileged to have great teachers, and we were inspired by great coaches,” Paserba said. during Wednesday’s ceremony.
He’s also spoken before about the importance of early childhood education.
“I have always been an advocate for early childhood education,” he said in February 2024, when plan for the lab was announced. “That’s clearly where habits are formed, where children learn who they are and maybe what aspirations they have for the future. Everyone who interacts with them contributes to their feeling of self-respect, and their overall feeling that ‘I really can do what I want to do, given my abilities and the things that make me.’”
Paserba attitude toward education, his long commitment to the field and his focus on children are all things future teachers should emulate.
— JK
