• John Marshall School No. 20

Teacher of the Year

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Ms. Maria Avella

Kindergarten Teacher

Growing up with a mother who was an educator, I always loved to play school in my basement. I dreamed of the day I could have my very own classroom with real students instead of just pretend ones. My education experience started in the Township of Union public school system where I stayed my whole life. My school was a second home for me, and I knew that one day I wanted to be the teacher who makes school a second home for her students. Bring Your Child to Work Day was my favorite day of the year. My mother, who was a proud Elizabeth Public Schools educator, would bring me to her classroom and I would watch her and other teachers in awe thinking to myself that I wanted to be just like them. I saw firsthand the power and impact that good teachers have on their students. Due to the fact that I had wonderful teachers my whole life, a love for teaching and learning was instilled in me. As an adult I remember my elementary school teachers with beautiful memories. At the age of 26, I still think back to the songs my kindergarten teacher sang to me and the feeling I felt when at school. I strive to have that same effect on students. While I have only been an educator for six years, I feel as though I have truly made a difference in all my students' lives. Teaching kindergarten has truly allowed me to provide students with a positive first impression of school. Additionally, it has allowed me to give students the foundation they need to achieve academic success throughout their lives. I have been fortunate enough to have worked at John Marshall School No. 20 for the past five years. I am honored to have played a part in the successes of my students.

Philosopher Lao Tzu once said, "If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. If you teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime." The true success of a teacher will be seen not just when the teacher is present, but rather when the teacher cannot be there. I live by the quote by Tzu as it is important to teach early learners how to do things for themselves rather than just doing it for them. I believe a teacher needs to be well-rounded and adaptable. I accept and support the backgrounds, cultures, and beliefs of all. I truly feel that the results and effects of being a good teacher are something that you will carry with you and cherish forever. I strive for my teaching style to incorporate support for staff, students, and parents, continuous motivation, constant understanding, involvement from staff for decision making, a mutual trust between myself and students, and capitalizing on individual strengths. What makes me an outstanding teacher is my well-rounded approach. I consistently find a happy medium between teaching, coaching, counseling, loving, and caring. I ensure students are connected to the world around them by first identifying barriers that may impede student learning. Based on my specific students, I then find a way to connect them to the world around them. As teachers we cannot control what happens in the lives of our students outside of school. However, what we can do is capitalize on our time together and make it meaningful and impactful.

Educational Service Professional of the Year

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Ms. Stella Murillo

Kindergarten Classroom Assistant

I love to see students grow and reach their social and academic goals. There is nothing more satisfying than seeing a student that may have struggled academically or socially, but by the end of the year was a star student ready to move to the next grade. You really do see different human beings at the end of the school year. Just seeing them blossom is such a rewarding opportunity and one of the greatest reasons why I love being in the classroom. Teaching is my calling. Dr. Wayne once said, “Do not die with your music still in you. All of us have some music playing and all of us hear a different drummer, and we must march the music that we hear, we all have a heroic mission to accomplish.” I know my music is in education and my mission is to be a teacher. That is my calling. Teaching fulfills my purpose, and I can express all my creativity, leadership, empathy, and organization skills while teaching. I am a lifelong learning person, and teaching and learning go hand in hand. This is something that I absolutely love about teaching. Being a teacher is a goal that I have worked so hard towards because I know I have the heart and drive to make a difference in a child’s life. Teaching is my way of contributing to the world and there is no greater feeling than knowing that this is what you are supposed to be doing. This is how you are supposed to be contributing to society. This is how you change the world; one child at a time. That is why I pursued a career in the field of education.

I have learned so much from the classroom experience and being a classroom assistant. I have been educating English speakers for many years and I truly enjoy this profession. Some of my responsibilities are whole class/small group instruction, cooperative instruction, differentiate instruction, creative lesson planning, technology Integration, Interdisciplinary teaching. I am so grateful for the opportunity of having the honor over the past years to collaborate with excellent mentors while educating and serving amazing children. I bring to any position love, compassion, and great communication skills along with a sensitivity for other cultures and creativity which is necessary when teaching non-English-speaking persons.