Schools
It All Adds Up For Essex County's Teacher Of The Year
A math teacher who "fell in love with the classroom" earned a nod from state officials as the 2020-2021 teacher of the year in Essex County.
ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — A longtime educator in Cedar Grove recently earned a high-profile award from state officials as the 2020-2021 teacher of the year in Essex County.
David Coster, a math and engineering teacher at Cedar Grove High School, is among this year’s awardees in the Governor's Educator of the Year Program.
A cohort of 21 high-achieving school staff members earned recognition this year. See the full list here.
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Here’s why Coster deserved the nod in Essex County, state officials said:
“David Coster earned his first high school teaching position after graduating from Rowan University. Over the next 20 years, David served as a supervisor of math and science, a vice principal and eventually a principal before returning to the classroom, a place he fell in love with so many years ago. Throughout his career, David pursued a variety of opportunities to provide additional support to his colleagues. These opportunities include presenting at Association of Mathematics Teachers of New Jersey (AMTNJ) conferences, serving as a state mentor for new teaching staff, contributing to the Essex County Curriculum and Instruction Roundtable, assisting on district Quality Single Accountability Continuum (QSAC) and DAC committees, serving on the Northern New Jersey Math Supervisors’ Roundtable, contributing to the New Jersey High School Reform Consortium, and presenting countless in-district professional development workshops. David currently teaches mathematics and engineering at Cedar Grove High School. In addition, David also serves as advisor to the 3-D Printing Club, the Robotics Club, and co-advisor for the class of 2021. He is grateful for the opportunities afforded to him by this greatest of professions.”
“Our County Teachers of the Year exemplify the dedication and commitment we see in educators throughout the state,” Gov. Phil Murphy said. “Now, more than ever, it’s important to celebrate and support our teachers in their efforts to ensure all students have opportunities to succeed.”
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Introducing the 2020-2021 County Teachers of the Year! Congratulations to these 21 outstanding educators @GovMurphy @FirstLadyNJ @KathyGoldenberg @NJSBA @NJEA @ETSInsights @NJCountyTeacher @msdickstein @PHILACTOY2021 @mllewilliams @MichaelJDunlea @amsantiago0825 pic.twitter.com/IlTOb9ABp2
— New Jersey Department of Education (@NewJerseyDOE) August 27, 2020
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