Irvington Teacher Earns National Honor For Her ‘Caring Classroom’

IRVINGTON, NJ — Want to know what a “caring classroom” looks like? Ask Donna Beck, an English teacher in Essex County.

Recently, the National Liberty Museum held its 16th annual “Teacher as Hero Awards” program, paying tribute to 11 educators throughout the nation. The honorees included Beck, who teaches English Language Arts at Madison Avenue Elementary School in Irvington.

Beck earned a nod in the “Caring Classroom” category, an award presented to an educator who integrates community service into the classroom to increase student civic engagement by incorporating and championing student voices into the learning process.

According to a news release:

“Students wrote that Dr. Beck makes every child feel loved and safe and that they can accomplish anything despite whatever challenges they may face. Classroom lessons are enriched with debates on current events and how children can make a difference in their community and country, despite how young they are. Throughout the year students participate in community service projects.”

Beck said she tries to lead by example. During the pandemic, Beck taught herself to make artificial floral arrangements and then donated them to struggling churches and to seniors who were shut in. She also volunteers with Angel Tree – Prison Fellowship, which supports children of incarcerated parents, and through her membership with Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and the National Sorority of Phi Delta Kappa.

The winning teachers were chosen from eight states: Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, North Carolina, New Mexico, California, and Florida. Fellow teachers, school administrators, students, and community members nominated the applicants and shared stories of how they made a difference in the community.

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