Monmouth Regional teacher down to the final four to determine best teacher in the US
TINTON FALLS - Monmouth Regional history teacher Joseph Nappi is on an incredible ride, one that could see him do what no other teacher in New Jersey has ever done — win national teacher of the year honors.
Nappi is the kind of high school teacher that will sacrifice himself in the dunk tank for a good cause. He's also the teacher that takes his classes on field trips to the national Holocaust museum in Washington, D.C., for an eye-opening history lesson.
It's that kind of dedication to the students at Monmouth Regional, and an animated, charismatic personality to boot, that won him the district's teacher of the year honor for 2023-24; then, Monmouth County teacher of the year followed by New Jersey state teacher of the year. All three are awarded through the Governor’s Educator of the Year Program.
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But the honors may not be over for the social studies instructor closing in on 20 years as an educator. The ride Nappi's on now has him in the running for the Council of Chief State School Officers' National Teacher of the Year. He's survived the cut from 56 teachers across the country and U.S. territories to be one of four finalists.
"They're bringing us down to Washington, D.C., and part of it is I have to give a 15-minute keynote address as if I was addressing all the teachers in America. Talk about giving yourself agita over what you're going to say," joked Nappi during an interview with the Asbury Park Press.
Since the awards starting coming, Nappi's daily life has been upended, as he's been whisked away from his usual classroom to fulfill his teacher of the year duties as an education ambassador for the state. He's on sabbatical until June, traveling from school to school, visiting classrooms and delivering lessons. It's taken him as far away as California.
His bandwagon back home is pulling for him.
"He can reach kids like few other teachers have the ability to do so. He's 100% deserving of the New Jersey teacher of the year award and our fingers are crossed he'll get national teacher of the year," said Brian Evans, Monmouth Regional's chief administrator, a position that combines the superintendent and high school principal role.
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To win the top national honor, Nappi will have to impress the council's selection committee in a round of interviews, a mock press conference to see if he can keep his message on point and the keynote speech, all to take place in the nation's capital later this month. His competition is three teachers that come from high schools in Alaska, Georgia and Tennessee. The winner will be announced in April.
CCSSO has been giving award since 1952. And in 71 years, no New Jersey teacher has ever held it.
"I was shocked by that. You always hear how New Jersey is tops in education nationally, and to learn that we've never had a national teacher of the year was surprising to me. Hopefully, Joe can change that," Evans said.
Who is Joe Nappi?
Nappi is, 41, and as a child of divorced parents, was raised in Tinton Falls and Bayonne. Today, he lives in Jackson with his wife Cristina, who's an English teacher at Monmouth Regional. They have two daughters — Gianni in eighth grade and Toni in fifth grade — both in the Jackson school district.
Nappi credits his wife with setting him down the road to teaching when they were both students at Ocean County College. It was in the days after Sept. 11, 2001, when they were trying to make sense of the terroristic attack. As they talked about it, she saw his ability to learn the information and explain it.
"She saw something in me that I didn't even see in myself and she inspired me to do something I didn't think I was capable of doing. At its purest form, that's the best thing a teacher can be," Nappi said.
Nappi pursued education and history at Rowan University and in 2005 he was hired at Monmouth Regional as a social studies teacher. While admittingly not the best high school student when he was a teenager, Nappi has been a whirlwind of activity and a beacon of hope to students, especially through the charity he co-founded with a school guidance counselor called Monmouth Helping Its Own.
The inspiration for that came when Nappi learned a student was home by herself with no parent or food in the house. Through fundraisers and staff donations, the charity has helped Monmouth Regional kids with issues as simple as getting a winter jacket or shoes on their feet.
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'Taught the right way'
Many students though, know Nappi as the teacher of the advanced history class, "Holocaust, Genocide and Modern Humanity." He has taken over 600 students to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., where he has been a Museum Teacher Fellow since 2019.
He is also an Alfred Lerner Fellow with the Jewish Foundation for the Righteous, a member of the Center for Holocaust, Human Rights and Genocide Education (CHHANGE), and serves as his district's liaison to the Diversity Council at Kean University.
During the summer of 2022, Nappi worked with a national team of educators assembled by PBS to design lessons for Ken Burns' film, “The US and the Holocaust."
"The thing about teaching something as impactful as the Holocaust and genocide, is if it's not done right, it can have a very negative effect, and Mr. Nappi did everything he could to ensure it was taught the right way. Every person I knew looked forward to going to his class and that's not something you always get," said Max Roberts, a former student and 2022 graduate of Monmouth Regional.
When Jersey Shore native Dan Radel is not reporting the news, you can find him in a college classroom where he is a history professor. Reach him @danielradelapp; 732-643-4072; dradel@gannettnj.com.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Monmouth Regional teacher in final four for best teacher in the U.S.
