Essex County Teachers Go Beyond Call Of Duty: 2018 News Roundup – Montclair, NJ Patch

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — The work of a teacher doesn’t end with the time they spend in a classroom. There’s prep work… after-school activities… back-to-school nights… ongoing professional training… and wave after wave of test grading.

Not to mention that every once in a while, you might get asked to look after hundreds of stranded kids in the middle of a snowstorm (read more below).

Check out some inspiring stories about Essex County teachers and staff going above-and-beyond the call of duty in 2018. (Click headlines to read the articles)

West Orange Teachers Show True Grit When Snowstorm Traps Students

A group of dedicated West Orange teachers and staff refused to leave their students when a snowstorm trapped them in school overnight.

Livingston Hebrew Academy Sheltered 100 Kids In Snowstorm (VIDEO)

There’s one good thing about New Jersey snowstorms… they give people a way to shine in a crisis.

Newark’s Inspiring School Laundromat On ‘Ellen Show’ (VIDEO)

A Newark principal fought bullying in his school by installing a free laundromat for in-need students.

Essex County ‘Teacher Of Year’ Used To Be A Chemical Engineer

Currently, Smita Dharsi is a second-grade teacher; however, in the past she has worked as a high school chemistry teacher, in an alternative high school for at-risk teens, in a home-based early intervention program, and in a Montessori school.

West Caldwell Kiddie Academy Owner Earns Nod As ‘Female Leader’

A West Caldwell business owner was recognized for being a “female leader” in the field of educational child care.

Montclair State Professor Is Changing The Way We See ‘Gravity’

Marc Favata is the only Simons Fellowship award winner in theoretical physics from a New Jersey higher education institution for 2018.

North Caldwell Teacher Helps Struggling Readers, Earns Nt’l Award

A teacher in the North Caldwell Public School District has earned a prestigious national award, school officials said.

Essex County Schools Celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week (PHOTOS)

They’re some of the most important people your child will ever meet: teachers. See how Essex County’s school communities said “thanks.”

Livingston Schools Name 2018 ‘Teachers Of Year’ (See The List)

They are some of Livingston’s finest educators. Find out what makes the district’s 2018 “Teachers of the Year” tick.

Millburn Preschool Opens With Veteran Teacher At Helm

“I became a teacher because I wanted to make a positive difference in the world,” the owner of The Goddard School’s Millburn location says.

Maplewood Professor Earns Nod As Mentor For Women, Minorities

Jenny Li, an assistant professor of computer science at Kean University, is a role model for “underrepresented” groups in STEM fields.

Newark Principal Fights Achievement Gap, Nets $25K Award

Jody-Anne Jones got the Ryan Award because she “helps her students compete with peers who don’t face the challenges of poverty.”

Bloomfield School Crossing Guards Get Valentine’s Day Surprise

A trio of Bloomfield school crossing guards got a smile-inducing Valentine’s Day surprise from the kids they help to keep safe.

South Orange Music Teacher’s Creativity, Leadership Earns Praise

Jacob Ezzo, choral director at South Orange Middle School, earned a top prize in the New Jersey Arts Ed Now Ambassadors competition.

It Adds Up: Columbia Grad, Former Math Teacher Honored

Neil Cooperman is the 2018 recipient of the prestigious Max Sobel Award for Outstanding Service and Leadership in Mathematics Education.

4 Essex County Teachers Keep Learning, Earn $5K Scholarships

They say that learning never stops. That’s certainly the case for four Essex County teachers, who recently earned $5,000 scholarships from the Bayer USA Foundation and the Thompson Family Foundation

Newark’s 2018 Teacher Of Year: ‘This Work Means The World To Me’

Newark Schools’ 2018 “Teacher of the Year” Lourdes Reyes teaches grades 1 and 2, including students with autism.

Essex County Woman Opening Education Center In South Orange

A longtime education researcher who hails from a family of teachers will open a Best In Class center in South Orange.

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Photo: West Orange Public Schools