Woodbridge Middle School’s 2017 teacher of the year is the one and only, Mrs. Burke.

Mrs. Burke received this award as a thank you for everything she has done for our school. From participating in fundraisers to yard sales, attending sports games, and just being an excellent teacher, Mrs. Burke has surely proved that she deserves this award. A friend of hers, Mr. Malmstrom, explained why she is a remarkable teacher, “She is an extremely congenial teacher…She cares about her students…She makes things in her class interesting and goes above and beyond”. Principal, Dr. Crowe, believes that she brings “a spirit of goodwill to our school” and she shows “dedication”.

Grace Terrell, one of her former students, said that her teaching style is “easier to remember” and that she “really connects with her students”. Janese Lewis, who also had Mrs. Burke last year, said “She’ll never let you move on to something new without making sure you fully understand the current topic. She makes math a whole lot easier by teaching songs and dances about topics we’ll need for testing.”

Students who have not even had Mrs. Burke as a teacher also think she is a great teacher. Mrs. Burke has only talked to student Nico Diaz, but he said how she seems like a “nice lady”. His sister, Natalia, had her as a teacher and he said, “she always helped my sister and offered her to come in early”. Mrs. Burke also offers to help other classes out. Recently, Mr. Van Antwerp, an eighth grade honors math teacher, was absent. His class was having some trouble with a lesson. The students asked Mrs. Burke to come down to their class and help them understand the lesson. She gladly taught them about the “dreaded” monomials lesson.

Aside from being an amazing teacher, Mrs. Burke is also a kind, caring and inspiring person. Ms. Falcone, a sixth grade language arts teacher, shared how Mrs. Burke inspires her, “Her energy and enthusiasm is something I’ve always admired”. Mrs. Burke is the type of person who always has a smile on her face. She will happily greet you in the halls or when you enter her class.

Mrs. Burke also puts her students and colleagues before herself. Mrs. Nemeth, an eighth grade honors language arts teacher, said she has “never seen her in a bad mood”. Mr. Blasena, Mrs. Burke’s classroom neighbor, also mentioned that he has learned a lot of “patience” from being friends with Mrs. Burke.

When Mrs. Burke was announced as the teacher of the year, she said she was “shocked and didn’t see it coming” and that she was “honored”. She explained how it is nice to be admired for the hard work she does. Winning teacher of year has pushed Mrs. Burke to go above and beyond with her teaching.

Considering how amazing of a teacher Mrs. Burke is, you would’ve thought teaching was her first choice. Surprisingly, it was her third. After college, while she was living in New York City, she realized she was in the wrong profession. It’s safe to say that Mrs. Burke definitely made the correct choice.