With more than 20 years of experience in education and consulting, Florence Batt Munuz has become an authority in her industry. Embarking on her career with the School District of Philadelphia, she first served as a teacher from 1957 to 1961 and a dental hygienist from 1961 to 1975. In 1977, she became a professor at Oakton Community College in Des Plaines, Illinois, a position she would hold until 2002. Ms. Munuz concluded her career in 2004, after 27 years as a consultant on child development at the Childcare Network of Evanston.
What attracted Ms. Munuz to her profession as an educator was her family and upbringing because she was influenced by her grandmother, Ida, who was a teacher. Her mother, Ida Griffith, was also a teacher, as well as many aunts and uncles.
Prior to becoming an esteemed educator, Ms. Munuz pursued higher education with a Bachelor of Arts from Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey, in 1972 and a Master of Arts from the University of Chicago in 1978. She is a certified teacher in the states of Illinois, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Over the years, she was mentored by Biljana Simsic, a close friend and teacher at the University of Pennsylvania. Additionally, Ms. Munuz has given a number of speeches, presentations and workshops and was notably invited to be a keynote speaker for the National Association for the Education of Young Children.
Outside of her professional responsibilities, Ms. Munuz remains informed of the changes and advancements in her industry through relevant organizations. She is a member of the National Education Association, the National Association for the Education of Young Children, the American Council of Nanny Schools and the Association for Childhood Education International. Likewise, Ms. Munuz is associated with the North American Society for Serbian Studies, the National Association of Certified Nursery Nurses and the International Nanny Association.
In light of her many achievements in the field, Ms. Munuz has received a number of awards and accolades throughout her career. She was named a Fulbright Scholar in Manchester, England, in 1990 and received the Illinois Lifetime Achievement Award from the City of Evanston, Illinois. Furthermore, she is proud to have kept contact with a number of previous students. Ms. Munuz has also been featured in several editions of Who’s Who in America and Who’s Who in American Education.
The advice that Ms. Munuz can offer the next generation or others aspiring to work in her profession is that you have to like children and want to work with them; love what you are doing or don’t do it. She would like to be remembered by her peers or leave a legacy as someone who loves people, loves to get along, loves to talk to people and loves being in groups.