Manchester Teacher Of The Year Creates 'A Strong Sense Of Belonging And Fellowship'

MANCHESTER, CT — The Manchester public school system has named its 2026-27 Teacher of the Year.

Here is the official announcement:

An innovative and inspiring leader at Manchester High School for almost two decades, Parag Joshi (Monday) was named the district’s Teacher of the Year for 2026-27.

Mr. Joshi is widely respected by colleagues in the social studies department and beyond. He’s known for challenging thinking, creating a strong sense of belonging and fellowship, and ensuring every student feels seen, valued, and heard. And here’s a detail from the story we ran when he was featured in our 'Humans of Manchester’ gallery 10 years ago: Born in India, he came to the U.S. at age 6, flying into New York with his family and landing on July 4, 1976 -- our nation’s bicentennial. “It was fate that I would become a history teacher,” he said.