Meet a Teacher: Keri Caffrey-Zwinggi

Welcome to Meet a Teacher, a new column that features a teacher that teaches here in North Andover.

Today we feature Keri Caffrey-Zwinggi, a teacher at North Andover High School. 

Patch: Where do you teach and what subject do you teach?

Keri: I currently teach English at .

Patch: Briefly describe your previous teaching experience and education.

Keri: I obtained my bachelor’s degree and master’s degree at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell.  I graduated from the bachelor’s program with a double major in both English and Psychology.  My master’s degree is in Secondary Education- English.  I am currently enrolled in a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study in Educational Leadership through Salem State University.  I will complete this program next year. 

Prior to teaching at North Andover High School, I taught English to grades 6-8 at in North Andover.  I taught at St. Michael School for two years.  This is my sixth year at North Andover High School.       

Patch: What is your favorite part about teaching in North Andover?

Keri: The students and faculty at North Andover High School make it easy for me to love my job. Teaching at North Andover allows me to work with the teachers that I had the most respect for when I was a student here.  Two of these teachers are Paul and Mary Julie Gregoire.  Both Paul and Mary have provided me with strong guidance and leadership during my teaching career.

The entire faculty at North Andover High School is made up of professional and caring individuals.  Like the faculty, the student body’s engagement and drive makes it a pleasure for me to teach here.

Patch: Do you have any favorite teaching strategies or procedures in the classroom?

Keri: Teaching English enables me to employ a number of protocols to lead discussions about literature.  These discussions are my favorite part of teaching because the students continue to put forth ideas that challenge my own thinking and provide me with new insight.

Patch: What inspired you to become a teacher?

Keri: Unlike my older sister Erin O’Loughlin, who teaches fifth grade at in North Andover, I did not always know that I wanted to be a teacher.  In fact, I did not decide to go into teaching until after I completed my bachelor’s degree. 

The greatest influence in my decision to go into teaching was my parents. Both of my parents are teachers.  My father taught for five years prior to making a career change into business finance and my mother has been teaching for thirty-five years.  The emphasis they put on education and the success that I felt in the classroom as a result of the countless hours they spent doing homework with my sisters, Erin, Meghan, and Kara, and I drove me to pursue a career in education. 

Teaching at St. Michael enabled me to teach with my mother for the first two years of my teaching career.  Her example has had the greatest impact on who I am as a teacher.  The most important lesson about teaching I have learned from her is how to balance high expectations in the classroom with an environment of tolerance and compassion. 

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Do you know any North Andover teachers deserving of recognition? If so, send an email to jay@jayoza.org.