Hard work adds up to Teacher of Year honors
Linwood math instructor Rose Macguire gains 2007 recognition
BY JENNIFER AMATO
Staff Writer

NORTH BRUNSWICK - A seventh-grade math teacher at Linwood Middle School has been named Teacher of the Year by Wal-Mart of North Brunswick.

Rose Maguire began teaching 11 years ago at Judd Elementary School and then followed her sixth-graders to Linwood during a redistricting move. This year, she taught seventh-graders for the first time, implementing the same teaching tactics she had used with her previous students.

"I really love teaching math and I find it very interesting, looking for patterns and seeing how things connect. I try to get [the students] as interested as I am," she said.

Although Maguire said she started with a teaching major but changed her course of study a few times, she returned to teaching. She enjoys the real-life application, discipline and ease math offers to students. She believes in a hands-on approach, building 3-D models during geometry and playing the New Jersey Council on Economic Education and Kean University Stock Market Game yearly to introduce students to Wall Street. She also stresses group work so that her class is not embarrassed to ask questions and also becomes accustomed to working with others, a skill utilized in nearly every job.

"Even if they don't become math majors I hope they will study math during all four years in high school and beyond," she said.

Wal-Mart runs a worldwide program, which honors hometown teachers in their specific business districts. The facility on Route 1 garners shoppers from the entire Brunswick area, so Maguire was selected out of about 15 teachers nominated by students in a drop-box process to receive the honor.

Jennifer Peterkin, the community involvement coordinator for the North Brunswick branch, said Maguire stood out because "she goes above and beyond her usual duty to make sure kids learn." She said the nomination letter described Maguire as outstanding, an inspiration to students to achieve their best and a believer in a high work ethic.

"This is coming from the founder of Wal-Mart and his philosophy was education is number one," Peterkin said of the contest, now in its 12th year. "Because the company was so successful for him he decided [he needed] a way to give back to the community and I think this was his way of giving back to the community. Teachers play a very important role in the children's lives."

Although Maguire does not know who nominated her, she said she is thrilled with the award but feels she got lucky.

"The students who were kind enough to take the time to write things down and so many positive things for many teachers ... I think, really, that you could find any group of students who probably could've and should've nominated any teacher at Linwood," she said. "Really, I think this is more for the school because the child probably has had a positive experience the whole year. It's nice to be singled out but it's probably more of a collaborative effort."

As part of the reward package, Maguire received a $1,000 check to purchase anything the school needs from Wal-Mart, as well as a $100 gift card for her to purchase her own supplies for her classroom. She also received a polo shirt reading "Teacher of the Year."

A ceremony was held at Linwood Middle School on July 3.