East Bridgewater Educator Named Teacher of the Year
East Bridgewater Educator Named Teacher of the Year
East Bridgewater Junior-Senior High School math teacher Jamil Siddiqui was celebrated by an auditorium full of cheering students and fellow educators at his school today — National Teacher Day — as he was named the 2019 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year.
The students filing into the auditorium just after 9 a.m. had not been told why they were gathering. But excitement grew quickly as school Principal Brian Duffey welcomed them and said, “I’m humbled and proud to let everyone know that the Massachusetts Teacher of the Year works right here in this building.”
When state Commissioner of Education Jeffrey C. Riley was invited up to make the official announcement, he could barely get the words out amid the cheers and yells that began erupting as soon as students realized Siddiqui had been chosen.
Siddiqui is the 57th Massachusetts Teacher of the Year, and he automatically becomes the state’s candidate for National Teacher of the Year.
He has spent his entire 24-year teaching career at East Bridgewater Junior-Senior High School. Siddiqui holds a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering and two master’s degrees from Boston University, one in math education and one in pure math.
East Bridgewater Superintendent Elizabeth Legault spoke to the students and then addressed the Teacher of the Year directly: “Mr. Siddiqui, you pride yourself as a master teacher and you exhale this enthusiasm daily for your students by giving them quality, student-driven, engaging and challenging experiences,” she said. “You don’t stop until every student ‘gets it’ — that’s what we call being a teacher.”
Among those in the audience was Siddiqui’s wife, Rebecca Siddiqui, who is a U.S. history teacher at the school, his 16-month-old son Jacob, and East Bridgewater Education Association President Curt Shippee. Jamil and Rebecca Siddiqui are both EBEA and MTA members.
Siddiqui told the students that 24 years ago he applied for 25 teaching positions. He received encouragement from only one town: East Bridgewater. He thanked those who mentored him in his early teaching years, saying, “Their belief in me made me want to do well.”
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He also offered a shoutout to his present and former students. “Thank you for having the willingness to take risks,” he said.
Department of Elementary and Secondary Education officials said that Siddiqui exemplifies the dedication, commitment and positive contributions of educators statewide. They noted that one year he videotaped every one of his classes and reviewed the videos of lessons that he felt may not have worked well enough.
Siddiqui has also helped other teachers grow. He has mentored new teachers and, while head of the math department, he helped teachers learn from one another. Fourteen of his former students are currently math teachers, officials noted.
The other two finalists for this year's award were Alexandra Caram, a library media specialist at Summer Street School in Lynnfield, and Gavin Smith, a ninth-grade biology teacher at John D. O’Bryant School of Mathematics and Science in Boston.
Siddiqui, Caram and Smith will join other educators, including the Massachusetts History Teacher of the Year, the finalists for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, and Teacher of the Year finalists and semifinalists for a ceremony at the State House on June 21.