Hathaway teacher receives 'Extraordinary Educator' distinction

NEW BEDFORD — Hathaway Elementary School teacher Jessica Peixoto says she felt a burst of pride when she found out she'd been named to the Curriculum Associates' annual class of Extraordinary Educators. But she didn't necessarily need the honor to know she's doing right by her students — her fourth graders aren't shy about telling her.

"They say 'you make things fun and easy to understand,'" she said. "When they say they're going to miss you for the next two days and give you a big hug on Friday, it's just really cool to see all the passion you put into teaching come back to you; to see that these kids truly, truly love you."

Peixoto, 38, has been a teacher for 14 years, nine of those in New Bedford. The Whaling City native says her interest in teaching stems from a childcare course she took as a student at Dartmouth High.

"I fell in love with working with kids and that's what led me to pursue my career," Peixoto said.

With her experience working in the districts of Westport, Fairhaven, Dartmouth and New Bedford, Peixoto says she's learned a thing or two about how to help students comprehend challenging concepts.

"I know it'll sound silly but, my approach is just to pretend that I'm a fourth grader," Peixoto said. "I use a lot of humor in my teaching to relate to my students. I actually rap sometimes with them; like at the end of a unit we'll do a little rap together.

Get the latest education news: Brockton's Saba-Maguire has accepted Dartmouth superintendent job pending negotiations. Here's the scoop.

"The students need to feel happy while they're at school. They're there all day, they want their teachers to be fun."

A modern math curriculum

Peixoto is one of 30 to be awarded the Extraordinary Educator distinction this year, and the only one in Massachusetts, based on how effective she's been using the district's chosen math curriculum, i-Ready® Classroom Mathematics. To be eligible, teachers must have two years in the classroom and demonstrated growth in their students' formal assessment scores, as well as innovation in teaching practices and holding students to high standards.

Peixoto says New Bedford Public Schools adopted the i-Ready® math curricula in 2020, just in time for the COVID pandemic and the shift to remote learning that swiftly came with it. Now in her third year using i-Ready®, Peixoto says it's a program that's proven itself effective for in-person school as well, built with the students of today in mind.

"At the beginning of the year, I looked at their third grade data and — not that it's all about scores — but it gave me exactly what I needed to see," she said of the way i-Ready® tracks student progress not only throughout the academic year, but also one year to the next.

Curious? Check this out: Dartmouth's top 20 highest paid employees in 2022. See who topped the list.

"It personalizes their learning and ... allows me as a teacher to understand my students and their learning level. And the kids love how interactive it is; it's what students need right now."

One of her favorite components of the program is it's "interactive lesson," which is often a game-ified adaptation of material they've learned in a unit that students can engage in on their Chromebooks. With her experience on how to motivate students, Peixoto saves this fan-favorite as an end-of-week treat.

"I do a lot with the interactive piece on Fridays. They've worked hard all week — I figure give them something to look forward to that they enjoy," she said.

Representing New Bedford in Foxborough

The perks of being named an "Extraordinary Educator" are not just for the teachers, but also their students. In Peixoto's case, her students and the other fourth graders of Hathaway Elementary School scored a trip to Gillette Stadium last week, sponsored by Curriculum Associates.

"They're really, really excited," Peixoto said last week before the trip, noting that many students don't get outside of New Bedford often.

But it's not all Patriots and sightseeing. As part of the trip, Peixoto was asked to teach an i-Ready® math lesson as a demonstration to other educators who will be there.

"They want to see it live in action," she said.

Aside from seeing her students have a good time, one thing Peixoto had been especially looking forward to representing her hometown and district of New Bedford.

Keep up with City Hall: New Bedford residents getting 'price gouged': City councilor defends rent stabilization

"I'm so proud to work where I do because our kids don't come from a lot," she said, adding that a high percentage of city students are English language learners, or ELL. "We're in the city ... so seeing the hardships some of them come from, and then seeing them grind in the classroom and wanting better for themselves and their families — that's my biggest motivation."

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: New Bedford's Peixoto named to 'Extraordinary Educators' class of '23