Saugatuck Elementary School Educator Named Westport Teacher Of The Year

WESTPORT, CT — Westport Public Schools has selected Jessica Carey, a literacy coach at Saugatuck Elementary School, as the district's 2027 Teacher of the Year.

Carey was unanimously selected by a committee of educators from across the district, according to Westport Public Schools.

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She began her teaching career in Westport in August 2005 as a classroom teacher at Kings Highway Elementary School. She became a remedial reading teacher in 2012 and remained in that role until 2015, when she became a literacy coach at Saugatuck Elementary School.

— Saugatuck Elementary School's Jessica Carey, Westport's Teacher of the Year for 2027. Photo credit: Westport Public Schools

The district said Carey received multiple nominations that cited her work with students and educators. Here is one of them:

"There are countless moments throughout my career and my life when I am impressed by the talent, work ethic, and skill that a person possesses. Once in a while though, you meet a person who continually impresses you, over and over again. For me, that person is Jessica Carey," one nomination said. "Jess is Saugatuck's literacy coach, but in reality she is much more than that. … That is the Jess Carey effect: she doesn't just teach; she builds the stage and then hands the microphone to kids and to staff. You can see this in her coaching, her teaching, and in the way she helps out in every part of the school."

Carey also serves as a district leader in Responsive Classroom, an approach to social-emotional learning focused on creating welcoming, engaging and supportive learning environments. As a certified Responsive Classroom trainer, she has worked with new and veteran educators on classroom communities and relationships with students.

Reflecting on her work in Westport after her nomination, Carey said teaching requires educators to continually adapt to their students.

"I believe with my whole being that teaching is an art," Carey said. "Our work in the classroom is only as great as our ability to see and respond to the students in front of us each day. This involves reflection, revision, and often a bit of messing around. As long as we are working with humans, we will never have all of the answers."