2019-20 NJ Teacher of the Year on Building Global Citizens

Steve Adubato goes on-location to the 2019 NJEA Convention in Atlantic City to talk to Kimberly Dickstein Hughes, 2019-2020 New Jersey State Teacher of the Year, and English Teacher at Haddonfield Memorial High School. They talk about the importance of her platform called “Lift Every Voice New Jersey” and her passion for building a community of global citizens with her students.  

3/16/2020 #2287

Excerpt:

"Steve Adubato here at the 2019 NJEA convention you can see that the young lady next to me she's the Teacher of the Year that's why she's waving to people (LAUGHTER) she is Kimberly Dickstein Hughes 2019-20 New Jersey State Teacher of the Year English teacher at? Haddonfield Memorial High School. Look at you mugging to the camera--(LAUGHTER)By the way, congratulations thank you. That's awesome, why don't we walk a little bit? Yes. Yeah. Talk to me about when you found out that you were the Teacher of the Year by the way how do you even find out? So well first you're announced as your County Teacher of the Year--Go head. So, I was announced Camden County Teacher of the Year in August it's a great honor to represent Camden County because I am a product of Camden County where'd you grow up? So I grew up in Voorhees Township. Okay. And my parents still live there and I went to Voorhees Township neighborhood schools then I went to Eastern Regional, then I went to Rutgers University. Same here. Nice. Not at the same time. And then (LAUGHTER). It's not that funny--a few years--That's okay. Few years indeed. So, come on so so you get out of Rutgers. Correct. And you decide I want to go into education or did you know early on that's what you wanted to do? So I knew early on at Rutgers College that I wanted to become a teacher I was told my whole life to go into law and policy I was in Model UN, student government and when I got to Rutgers I was in the first year interest group for law and I just didn't feel like it was a perfect fit at the moment and I was--Law did not speak to you--It didn't speak to me because I wanted to be with people and I realized that if I was in law I'd be with legislation and I know that moves but I also know that you can move everyday in the classroom. So how long has it been even teaching? Eleven years. So I'm curious about this you go into teaching right you could have made more money doing other things. Correct. Right obviously whether it's law or whatever else but you get into teaching and is it what you thought it would be? Absolutely not. Go head. It's because when you go to school for education you're learning a lot about how to teach content and what I learned pretty early on is that you're teaching human beings not content talk about that. Every single day you have X..."