Educator Services Career Advancement Recognition Programs
1998 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year

Dear Friends,

Teaching is both an art and science, the most difficult and most rewarding of careers. While all classroom teachers should be recognized on a daily basis, the National Teacher of the Year Programis the oldest and most prestigious awards program that focuses public attention annually on excellence in teaching. Since 1952, the program =(co-sponsored by the Council of Chief State School Officers and Scholastic Inc.) has recognized and honored the contributions of classroom teachers by granting one outstanding teacher a year's paid sabbatical. During that year, the teacher travels the nation and meets with a wide variety of audiences to address educational issues.

The Massachusetts Teacher of the Year Program is administered by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.Each year (since 1960 when Massachusetts joined the program) the program honors a Massachusetts teacher who exemplifies fine teaching in the Commonwealth. The purpose of the program is to select a teacher who is worthy of speaking for and energizing the teaching profession, and representing the positive contributions of all teachers statewide. The Massachusetts Teacher of the Year automatically becomes the state's candidate for the National Teacher of the Year Program.

The selection process for the Massachusetts Teacher of the Yearbegins early in the calendar year with a call for nominations - this year, a record 418 nominations were received. An independent panel of experts including past Teachers of the Year reviewed written applications, interviewed eight finalists, and made recommendations of the top candidates for my consideration for this year's honor.

The following corporations and organizations are supporting the 1998 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year Program: J.L. Hammett Company; Apple Computers; College Fund Division of UICI; Microsoft Corporation; UMASS/Amherst Graduate College of Education; Massachusetts Teachers Association; Harvard Graduate College of Education; and Massachusetts Field Center for Teaching and Learning at UMASS/Boston Graduate College of Education.

I am proud to present the 1998 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year, Mary Ginley of Longmeadow, and wish her much energy and success in the year ahead.

Sincerely,

Robert V. Antonucci
Commissioner of Education

1998 Massachusetts
Teacher of the Year

Mary Ginley
Grade 2 - Center School - Longmeadow

Mary Ginley is described by parents, colleagues and administrators as a teacher who makes "magic" happen in the classroom. Mixing creativity, compassion and her own thirst for knowledge, Mary creates a community of learners in which, in the words of a colleague, "students learn to be critical thinkers, confident writers, insatiable readers, creative problem solvers and avid listeners."

During her twenty-eight years of teaching - 5 in parochial school, 18 in Holyoke Public Schools and 5 in Longmeadow Public Schools - Mary has taught kindergarten, grade 1 and grade 2. She has also served as an English as a Second Language Teacher and a Language Arts Resource Teacher. A key to her success in all of her varied experiences has been her efforts to find ways to involve the parents of her students. From personal letters and phone calls early in the school year to parent-led cooking projects and literature discussion groups, parents quickly learn that they are welcomed and even expected to be visitors and contributors to Mary's classroom.

Mary's ongoing efforts to improve her teaching have led her to study brain-based learning in recent years. Her classroom is a reflection of her research and course work, providing her students with complex experiences and opportunities to process their understanding in a variety of ways individually and cooperatively. The students also have a part in deciding how material will be covered and how learning will be assessed.

Mary has presented numerous workshops to parents and teachers in Western Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Recently, under the auspices of the Western Massachusetts Writing Project, she has presented on topics including writing across the curriculum, assessing writing development, and managing a reading/writing classroom.

As Teacher of the Year, Mary is available during the 1997-1998 school year to present workshops, seminars, or keynote addresses. Please contact the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education at 781-338-3000 to schedule a presentation.

1998 Finalists

Donna Apple, Whitman-Hanson
Margaret Donohoe, Natick
Mary Kitagawa, Amherst
Melinda Learning, Rockland
Christopher Mainhart, Westwood
Suzanne Morin, Amesbury
Donna Pappalardo, Reading

1998 Semi-Finalists

Gail B. Anderson, Swampscott
Sylvia Bodmer, Holliston
Michelle Burpee-Robert, Lynnfield
Margaret Dempsey, Boston
Leanne Ganley, Framingham
John Hickey, Norton
Cassandra Morgan, New Bedford
Jane Politis, Newburyport
Melissa Scheve, Andover
Marion Sweeney, Boston
Anne Toole, Barnstable
Michael Welch, Belmont

Past Massachusetts Teachers of the Year

For more information on the program, please contact:
Massachusetts Teacher of the Year Program
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
350 Main St. Malden, MA 02148
781-338-3000