Milford MA Teacher of the year 2014 for Curriculum (Education of Young Children)

Julie Gambale A teacher at Mother Hubbard’s in Milford won the teacher of the year Award for 2014 in the curriculum development category, from Boston Association for the education of young children.

            Julie Gambale from Silliman University in the Phillipines and shortly after graduation began her teaching career in the mountains pioneering a school for an indigenous group of people called Negritoes. When Julie arrived at the negritoe Development Project the school was not yet completed/the school was being built by a Peace Corps volunteer, Nick Gambale and his co-worker. The building was constructed from round timbers with bark walls and a cogon grass roof. The parents of the children helped in gathering materials for the school. Funding for the school virtually non-existent as Julie was not a public school teacher at that time. The school and teacher were founded very minimally through Silliman University. At the start of the school there were not supplies and not blackboard. The lack of supplies did not prevent Julie from teaching. She brought students to the river where there were very large flat dark rocks- which she uses like a blackboard using white rocks to write with. Berries were used in place of colored markers to write on large leaves and sap for glue. The curriculum was the basic three R’s and the children of mix ages learned well. As time went on, meager supplies arrived and eventually the school was absorbed in to the school system by the provincial government.

           Julie and Nick were married in the Philippines and had a daughter and returns to the state in 1981. About a year after state they moved to Milford and she began teaching at Mother Hubbard’s. During Julie’s long tenure at Mother Hubbard’s she grew professionally Julie’s love for her children and the NAEYC standard and philosophy/guided her to teach children in a developmentally appropriate and child centered way. She teaches young children open-ended art incorporating plenty of hands-on/ and sense of touch activities making the learning activities fun/she promotes the five senses making learning more meaningful to young children. Routines and plenty of time make it easier for the young children to flow smoothly on different learning centers without direction-but their own choices.

        Having operated continuously since 1961. Mother Hubbard’s is known to generations of Milford families. It is not at all unusual for a child to join our Mother Hubbard’s family as an infant and grow up with us right through seventh grade. Many of those same children come back and work in our classrooms when they are older. Currently we have three alumni as staff members. And second (and even third) generations are not unusual.

           Our staff is like family to each other, as well. Seven staff has being with us for over 30 years, and several more for 15 years. If you are over 30 years old and went to Mother Hubbard’s, you may be surprised that Kim, Judy, Julie and Pam are still providing loving care to children here.