Teacher of the Year!

Teacher of the Year!
Posted on 01/31/2022

Jennifer Landry is the most deserving for teacher of the year.  She is the type of teacher that you want your kids to experience and that you want on your team as a co-worker.  Mrs. Landry is currently in her 35th year as an educator with the Somersworth School District.  During the 1987 – 88 school year, as a UNH graduate student she interned with Eleanor Swain at Maple Wood School in the third grade. She then began her career at the now closed great falls school from 1988 to 1990. While at Maple Wood she taught third grade for two years and has been teaching fourth grade since 1992.  She is a veteran teacher who constantly brings positive and enthusiastic energy to her classroom and the school as a whole.  She has served as a leader in our school for many years as a lead teacher and mentor.  Colleagues seek her out for her wealth of knowledge, knowing she is always willing to help.  For many years, Mrs. Landry has helped graduate students gain the skills necessary to become teachers working with her during their internships, some who have stayed at Maple Wood.

Mrs. Landry has a tremendous passion for teaching.  She teaches with great enthusiasm and truly loves not just the students in front of her, but also the subjects that she teaches.  A lot of time and energy go into researching her science and history lessons that cover the fourth-grade standards.  Students greatly enjoy the hands-on experiences of her well-planned field trips to places like the Great Bay Estuary and the New Hampshire Statehouse that bring the study of habitats and the students’ understanding of our state to life.  At snack time Jen reads aloud to her students in an enthralling way where she becomes the characters in the great books that she shares with her class.  Her love of math becomes apparent as she explains complex math topics in ways that her students can easily understand, apply, and explore. 

As the years and decades go by, Mrs. Landry has a way of staying ever energetic and enthusiastic, two great qualities that rub off on all who walk through her classroom door. Looking back on their time in her classroom, former students fondly remember her as someone who genuinely cared about them and whose sense of humor brightened each and every day. Mrs. Landry works hard to make connections with every single student that comes through her classroom doors, and any that she sees on the playground or in the hallways.  You will see her on the sidelines watching sports games or staying late to ensure she is ready with a smiling face as students enter the room.