Teacher of the Year honor ‘a thrill’
An East Bridgewater math teacher, Jamil Siddiqui, has been named 2019 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year for his commitment and passion for his subject and his students, officials announced.
Surrounded by colleagues and students, Siddiqui said he was taken aback when he received the state’s top teaching award on yesterday’s National Teacher Day. He automatically becomes the state’s candidate for the National Teacher of the Year program.
“It came as a great thrill,” Siddiqui told the Herald.
Siddiqui, 47, began his career at East Bridgewater Junior/Senior High School 24 years ago after he got a tutoring job in the math department while studying engineering at Boston University.
The temporary gig turned into a lifetime passion, he said. He is also lead teacher of the math department and student activities coordinator for the high school.
“I like working with students,” Siddiqui said. “I like having them set a goal and achieving that goal with hard work and perseverance.”
His advice to other teachers: love your subject and your students.
East Bridgewater Superintendent Elizabeth Legault said Siddiqui “exhales this enthusiasm daily to his students by giving them a quality, student-driven, engaging and challenging experience. He doesn’t stop until every student ‘gets it’ — that’s what we call being a teacher.”