High school Social Studies teacher Theresa Maughan has been named New Jersey’s 2022 Teacher of the Year.. Photo credit: New Jersey Education Association

I always enjoy sharing stories about exceptional educators who have earned accolades for their work. One of these is Theresa Maughan, a high school Social Studies teacher in East Orange, New Jersey. She has been named her state’s 2022 Teacher of the Year.

Theresa teaches at East Orange STEM Academy in East Orange, New Jersey. In a career that has spanned 40 years, she has spent the last 34 of them at East Orange. “I love everything about my job,” expresses Theresa. “Every day is fresh and different, and I really enjoy giving my students an opportunity to become the best version of themselves,” she says.

The honored educator immigrated from Belize when she was only five years old. When her family was threatened with deportation, her social studies teacher dedication herself to helping her family stay in their adopted country. “My father had an issue with his visa that threatened our immediate family’s status in the US,” recalls Theresa. “My teacher, Mrs. Roman, launched a letter-writing campaign and arranged for coverage in the Jersey Journal about our situation. The school community rallied around us and we were able to go through the naturalization process, eventually becoming American citizens,” she continues. This effort, says Theresa, is what led her to recognize the immense impact educators have on their students’ lives and inspired her to pursue a career in education.

When she grew up, Theresa earned her Bachelor’s degree in History and Education from Rutgers University. She earned her Master’s degree in Administration and Supervision from New Jersey City University. She is also working on her second Master’s degree, in American History, from Pace University.

In addition to her responsibilities in the classroom, Theresa writes curriculum, and she has developed and presented interdisciplinary professional development workshops for her school district. She has mentored new teachers and pre-service teachers. Furthermore, she has attended the New Jersey Amistad Commission’s Summer Teacher Institute for more than a decade, and she serves as an Amistad Scholar.

Besides her honors as New Jersey’s Teacher of the Year, Theresa has been named 2021 Essex County Teacher of the Year, and she was a nominee for the National History Day Patricia Behring Award the same year.

To read more about Theresa Maughan, see this article published by the New Jersey Education Association.