Willingboro Woman Named Teacher of the Year

Jeanne DelColle is New Jersey's Teacher of the Year

She's a jet-setter with a passion for students that goes far beyond the classroom. This teacher isn't afraid to travel rough terrain, to give her students a real lesson in culture. Her name is Jeanne DelColle and the New Jersey Board of Education and the state Department of Education just named her this year's Teacher of the Year.

The honor gives DelColle--a social studies teacher at the Burlington County Institute of Technology—a six-month sabbatical to work with the Department of Education on special projects, reports phillyburbs.com.

DelColle was 25-years-old and working at a law firm in England, when she decided to return to her hometown of Willingboro and give teaching a try. “The kids made me laugh and kept me on my toes all day,” DelColle told phillyburbs.com. “There was never a dull moment, and from the moment I walked into the room, I knew that’s what I should be doing.”

DelColle went on to get her teaching certification at the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey. She then taught high-school and middle school in Willingboro, before taking a position with BCIT, seven years later.

DelColle—who’s traveled to  Belize, Egypt, Jordan, Mexico and San Salvador—says she loves getting insight from students and her travels  “give students more of an inside look at a place or culture” and they become “almost an interactive classroom.”

This isn’t the first time DelColle has been honored. Phillyburg.com reports she was named the 2010 Teacher of the Year by the New Jersey Council for the Humanities and was honored as the Burlington County Outstanding Woman of the Year for Education that same year.

Governor Chris Christie had this to say about DelColle’s accomplishments: “Teachers who have a passion for what they teach and a genuine care for their students inspire students to play with ideas, think deeply about the subject matter, take on more challenging work, and even pursue a particular field of study. I congratulate Jeanne on her accomplishments. Her creativity, patience and determination have given her students the best possible learning experience.”

BCIT Superintendent Donald Lucas also had nice things to say about DelColle. “She’s traveled the world. She’s a ball of energy and just a great young teacher who cares about kids.”
 

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