Essex County Teacher Named Governor’s Teacher of the Year
MONTCLAIR, NJ – A 2nd grade teacher from the Montclair Public School District was named the Governor’s Educator of the Year for Essex County for the 2018-19 school year.
Smita Dharsi is a teacher at the Edgemont Montessori School. Teaching second grade wasn’t always her first passion, as Dharsi changed careers after being a Chemical Engineer for many years.
Prior to becoming a second grade teacher, Dharsi also worked as a high school Chemistry teacher in an alternative high school for at-risk teens in a home based early intervention program. She also in a Montessori school before finding her way into her second grade classroom.
Based on a relational model, Dharsi explained that she designs her classroom to provide students with an opportunity to be independent, make discoveries, and think critically to maximize learning. According to a release, the State of New Jersey wrote on their website, “…her multicultural and multilingual experiences from four continents gives her a unique perspective on children’s lives, backgrounds, and learning styles.”
At Edgemont Montessori School, Dharsi keeps busy by leading the Roots & Shoots Club for students after school. During the summer months, she extends experiences for her students by running a nonprofit company that works in Tanzania in partnership with The Jane Goodall Institute on projects involving the environment and conservation with the Roots & Shoots Club members there.
Dharsi is also instrumental in providing micro grants to women’s groups for sustainable economic development.