SALEM — Marta García, an English as a second language (ESL) educator at Witchcraft Heights Elementary School, has been named Massachusetts Teacher of the Year for 2022.
García, a second- and third-grade teacher, was honored in a ceremony held Wednesday at the school, which was attended by Gov. Charlie Baker, Secretary of Education James Peyser, Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Jeffrey C. Riley, and Mayor Kimberley Driscoll.
“We are proud to award Marta García with this year’s Teacher of the Year Award,” said Baker. “Teachers like Ms. García support students, families, and schools with care and kindness, and she is an excellent representative of the commonwealth’s teachers.”
García is the first Salem educator to be named the Massachusetts Teacher of the Year.
“Ms. García’s dedication to her students and their families is a tremendous asset for our community,” said Driscoll. “Salem is so proud of her and her many accomplishments and positive contributions to our schools, as we are of all our teachers, school staff and students.”
García is in her 23rd year of teaching and has spent 15 years teaching multilingual learners in Salem. In addition to teaching English and academics, she likes to help show students how their own actions can make the world a better place, whether that be by improving the environment or showing respect for all people. In García’s planning, she always prioritizes social and environmental justice.
“In my daily teaching, I try to help students nurture their identities and feel proud of their origins as they acquire new ways of seeing the world through a new culture and language,” García wrote in her application. “I consider myself the bridge on which my students can navigate opportunities coming from both sides, without rejecting one or the other.”
Prior to joining the Salem Public Schools in 2006, García taught in California and Spain. She came to the United States as part of the Visiting Teachers from Spain program and eventually raised her family here in the hopes that her children would become bilingual.
“We are lucky to have strong educators in Salem, but Marta is a standout,” said Salem Superintendent of Schools Dr. Stephen Zrike. “She teaches multilingual learners in extraordinary ways that actively involve their families and empowers them to find their voice.”
