Mr.Perricone was a Health Educator and Psychology teacher in the Maine-Endwell School District in upstate N.Y. for thirty-one years. His love and passion for teaching made him the recipient of numerous local, state, and national “Excellence in Teaching” awards. Most recently, he received SUNY Cortland’s Distinguished Educator Award. He received the Maine-Endwell’s Distinguished Teacher Award for twelve consecutive years. This award is voted on and presented by the Senior Class.

He is a best-selling author (Zen and the Art of Public School Teaching) and a nationally and internationally sought keynote speaker. He has been invited to speak in all fifty states and abroad.

After fifty years of training, Mr. Perricone was awarded a 7th-degree blackbelt —  the highest rank that world-renowned karate Master Hidy Ochiai has ever awarded in his fifty-eight years of teaching.

He sings with the Barbershop Harmony Society and has performed throughout the country in a quartet known as the Troubadours.

The only thing that exceeds his zest for his profession and hobbies are the love of his wife Vicki and his daughters Loren and Hannah.

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What I Do:

I equip educators and school staff to forge a Philosophical Identity—an intentional sense of mission that infuses their professional journey with meaning. My sessions elevate staff development from compliance-driven training to purpose-driven growth, empowering educators to reclaim joy, passion, and purpose in their work.

The man who inspired me to be a teacher

Find out more about  Mr. Hidy Ochiai