And the Governor’s Educator of the Year Award Goes to...

Mrs. Nicole David is a World History teacher at Nutley High School who has just received the 2019-2020 Governor’s Educator of the Year Award. David has been an educator at Nutley High for 23 years and has taught several different history classes. On January 9, 2020 Mrs. David was interviewed by the NHS Journalism class and spoke about her love for teaching, background in education, and her feelings regarding the award. When asked about how she felt about receiving the Governor’s Educator of the Year Award, she said, “I was shocked and truly honored.” 

Mrs. David has taught multiple history classes at NHS such as U.S. History I, U.S. History II, European History, Sociology, and World History. She shared that history has always been her strongest subject and has helped to improve her literary skills over time. Mrs. David also shared that because of her performances and success in high school, she received the Dr. Fadule Future Educator’s Scholarship. The Dr. Fadule Educator’s Scholarship is given to an outstanding high school senior who displays the potential to become an excellent educator.

David stated that she had originally debated becoming an operating nurse or teacher while in college, but decided to become a teacher after realizing that she enjoyed the field more than nursing. “It was a lot of studying, but it was my future,” said David when asked about her college experience. After she graduated, she had acquired a teaching position at the Nutley Public Schools and has continued working in Nutley ever since. 

In the classroom, Mrs. David likes to have her students engaged and participate in interactive and hands-on lessons. She believes that interacting with students is the most important part about teaching. “It’s definitely providing students with different perspectives so that they can form their own opinions,” said David. 

Mrs. David said that she has had a wonderful group of students over the years and that her students have had a major impact on her. When asked about how her classroom has changed over the years, David replied, “It’s more student-driven as opposed to teacher driven.”

Mrs. David said that Nutley has also had a major impact on her as well. “Working in Nutley has made me feel like I need to be a part of the community. I’m always concerned with what’s going on,” she remarked. Mrs. David added, “Nutley is a good town. We’re a good, strong community.” 

Mrs. David was sure to talk about her experience in the history department and what her fellow history teachers are like. David stated that her and her colleagues are very entertaining and share a deep love for history.  She said, “We have very different backgrounds, yet we all come together and work well together. I’m inspired by so many of my coworkers. Teamwork and working with your colleagues is extremely important; it’s about having each other’s backs.”

As for the rest of her plans with school, Mrs. David hopes to continue teaching for the next seven to eight years and then, eventually travel. After retiring, she stated that she’d love to work with animals or go to hospitals and help students that are unable to attend school. 

David also gave advice to future educators: “Get into a classroom as quickly as you can. You’ll know it, you have it within you.”

Finally, Mrs. David was very honored to receive the Governor’s Educator of the Year Award and is looking forward to the rest of the school year.