Congratulations to New Hampshire educator Kimberly Piper-Stoddard, who has garnered her state’s 2020 Teacher of the Year Award. Kimberly teaches Language Arts to prisoners for the Department of Corrections.

Congratulations to New Hampshire educator Kimberly Piper-Stoddard, who has garnered her state’s 2020 Teacher of the Year Award. Kimberly works for the New Hampshire Department of Corrections. This is the first time in New Hampshire history that an educator working in the prison system has won the prestigious recognition.

Kimberly’s career as an educator spans 25 years. She has taught at all levels, including pre-school, elementary, and middle school. Currently she teaches secondary Language Arts at Granite State High School, which is located on the grounds of the state prison in Concord. Her students, both male and female, range in age from 17 to 70.

When Kimberly learned that a position for an English teacher opened up at the prison, she didn’t hesitate to apply. “I was always drawn to the at-risk kids, the kids who had no one else in their corner,” Kimberly says. “They kind of drew me in and made me want to reach them. This seemed like an extension of that,” she continued.

Kimberly has worked for the Department of Corrections for four years. She credits her success in the classroom to recognizing her students as unique human beings. “The students in my classroom are trying to get their lives back on track,” the honored teacher observed. “And being able to help them and honor them along the way, and be tough with them when I need to be tough, and be supportive when they need support, that’s the thing that’s most rewarding about being here.”

Granite High School is fully accredited and recognized by the New Hampshire State Department of Education. Completing courses through the program like those that Kimberly teaches gives inmates an opportunity to earn a high school diploma. Gaining an education is a major step in the rehabilitation of the inmates. “Every individual is on his or her own journey and own life path,” Kimberly asserts. “We all make choices, but everyone deserves another chance, and they will take that chance when they are ready,” she concluded.

Kimberly earned her Bachelor’s degree in English teaching and her Master’s degree in Elementary Education, both at the University of New Hampshire.

To read more about this amazing Chalkboard Champion, see this article about her at NHPR.