Thursday, April 24, 2025
He’s steered the village for over a decade. His influence and legacy on the village’s public life are unmistakable. To most, Edwin Fare is simply the mayor, but what if he was also your woodshop teacher or technology instructor? For roughly the past forty years — until his retirement last year — this has been the reality for a select group of students in the Valley Stream Central High School District.
In fact, Ed Fare has been a vocational educator in the Valley Stream Central High School District for far longer than he’s held the village’s top office. And yes, he admits, more than once, students have had that dawning “aha” moment when they realize the man who teaches the nuts and bolts of electrical wiring also has the most powerful desk at Village Hall.
“My neighboring mayors always laugh that they can’t get me out of Valley Stream,” Fare quipped. “You live, you work, you teach in Valley Stream, you’re the mayor in Valley Stream. I’ve loved being mayor and a teacher. And yes I do leave Valley Stream.”
Fare’s path into teaching was shaped early on by a family steeped in vocational education. His father, an industrial arts teacher, never pursued the profession after being drafted into World War II. Two of his brothers became industrial arts teachers themselves. “It wasn’t about following in their footsteps,” Fare recalls. “It just felt right. I worked with my dad and knew I wanted to teach those skills.”
His early teaching years focused on hands-on skills—woodworking, plumbing, and electrical work. However as education shifted focus toward preparing students for college, Fare became a staunch advocate for vocational programs. “Everyone was pushing for college,” he said. “But we need tradespeople—plumbers, electricians, carpenters—these are the jobs that keep things running.” His passion for the trades never wavered, and he’s glad to see those programs making a comeback.
As vocational education evolved, so did Fare. When woodshop classes started to fade, he embraced technology, incorporating computer-aided design into his curriculum. One of his standout projects, the “quiz board,” merged woodworking with electronics, allowing students to work hands-on with both traditional materials and digital tools.
Through it all, Fare’s focus remained on cultivating critical thinking, not just rote learning. “It’s not about just following instructions; it’s about asking questions and figuring things out,” he said. “In today’s world, you can Google anything, but you still need to understand how it works to really benefit from that knowledge.”
Fare lamented the lost years of socialization and connection during the pandemic when he was confined to teaching behind screens and his hands-on curriculum was upended. Despite those challenges, he hopes his students take away the importance of investing in an education that extends beyond the pages of textbooks.
“The biggest joy for me is when former students tell me they used what I taught them—whether it’s fixing something at home or maintaining their cars,” he said. “That’s the kind of impact you want to have as a teacher.”
Have an opinion on this article? Send an email to jlasso@liherald.com.
