2009-10 New Jersey State Teacher of the Year
Maryann Woods-Murphy
County: Bergen
School/District: Northern Highlands Regional High School / Northern Highlands Regional High School District
Grade Level: 9th-12th
Teaches: Spanish Teacher
Maryann is a Spanish teacher whose focus is global communication across linguistic and cultural barriers. Her classroom focuses on communication and engagement as students learn that they can and will have the ability to acquire a new language! In addition to teaching Spanish, Maryann's teaching portfolio includes Gifted and Talented education, building global competencies, leading study abroad trips and organizing a youth leadership conference called, "Teens Talk about Racism." Maryann is a member of the Board of Directors of the National Education Foundation and the Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. She has a B.A. in Philosophy and General Humanities and an M.A. in Spanish Literature from Montclair State University, with a Diploma de Estudios Hispánicos from La Universidad de Salamanca. Maryann earned her Ed.D at Walden University in 2016, with a focus on Teacher Leadership. Maryann is married with two grown, globe-trotting children and two vivacious granddaughters and a grandson.