Our Teacher of the Year - Another Thumbs Up for the Town's Education System

In late June, as many Hamsters know by now, Jae Goodwin, a 5th grade teacher at Charlotte A. Dunning Elementary School, was named the state's 2009-2010 Teacher of the Year.

What's more, she lives in Framingham, and has had children in the school system, which is often not the case in many nearby towns, whose public servants are frequently priced out of the communities they serve. Having teachers who live in the community I believe strengthens their ties to it. And when they themselves have children in the school system as well, the commitment is even stronger.

Ms. Goodwin came to teaching as a mid-life career changer, after volunteering in her son's school, then becoming a kindergarten aide, and eventually returning to school herself for a master's degree and a full-time career as an elementary school teacher. She is an inspiration to anyone considering teaching as a career, and one of the jewels of the Framingham Public Schools.