(upbeat music) - Hi, I am Jacqui Tricarico, Senior Correspondent for "One-on-One," and I am so pleased to be joined now by Montgomery Upper Middle School teacher, Stefanie Lachenauer, who is the 2024-2025 New Jersey State Teacher of the Year.

Congratulations, Stefanie.

- Thank you so much, and thank you so much for having me here today.

- It's great to have you on.

So first, I wanna talk about that day you found out, because I know the NJEA, the New Jersey Education Association, who ultimately hands out this recognition to its teachers every year, loves to surprise the educators.

So, talk about the day that you found out that you were named the State Teacher of the Year.

- Oh, boy, that was quite a surprise.

So we were having an assembly, and fortunately my principal let me know that they were gonna ask me to speak.

So I had something ready, but I didn't know what it was about.

Like, it was just kind of vague.

It was a kickoff to the school year.

So I was like, okay, I have some rah-rah things to say.

And then they called me up to share.

But before they had me speak, they handed me a gift, and the gift was a plaque that said that I was a state teacher on it.

So, I got the surprise in front of everyone, which was such a beautiful thing because the work that I do is with the school.

So I was with all the people who have, you know, championed me and also worked alongside me the whole time.

So it was, this is really...

It belongs to all of us, so it was very exciting.

- That's awesome.

And being a State Teacher of the Year, I know, goes...

There's a lot of different elements to it.

And one of the things is you have this year long paid sabbatical to do a lot of different things in and around the state.

So talk about first, the last couple of weeks, some things that you've been working on and what you will continue to work on during this time that you're state teacher.

- Yeah, so I do have a paid sabbatical, which is great.

We have wonderful sponsors.

ETS actually sponsors my salary so I can have the sabbatical.

- And ETS is?

- ETS is Educational Testing Services.

- Okay.

- And they're actually located in Princeton, so they're nearby.

- Great.

- And NJEA also provides my car so that I'm able to get around, which is amazing.

And I work closely with the DOE, which is also one of our sponsors.

So right now, in the month of January, I am in the office almost all the time 'cause I'm doing lots of meet and greets.

So I'm learning a lot about how our education system works and learning a lot about the behind the scenes in NJDOE.

And it has been so eye-opening for me.

I was unaware that there were so many resources and so many things that are available to us.

So I've actually been sharing a lot of that out also on my social media.

So I've made that also part of my platform because I think of this as my year of service, but it really is my year of service not just to the DOE, but also my year of service to teachers.

So I'm trying to bridge that connection as much as possible.

And as I'm learning more about that, it can support the educators, and I'll be going in and out of classrooms throughout the state.

So my goal is to visit all the County Teacher of the Year schools first, and then as different school districts have interests, I'm doing assemblies, I'm doing professional development opportunities for teachers.

I'm also connecting with all of the universities and colleges in New Jersey, that teacher ed programs, so I'm really looking forward to that work.

And then also my cohort of State Teachers of the Year, we'll be going to conferences and having events together.

- That's great, a busy couple of months ahead for you.

And I know, getting a recognition like this really means that you're doing incredible things in your school, in your classroom.

So I wanna talk about some of those things.

One that really stood out to me is the Youth Action Board and things that you're doing to make sure that your students are supported when it comes to mental health.

Talk about that for us.

- So I'm so fortunate to work closely also with our Municipal Alliance, which is front and through our Montgomery Health Department.

So, I talk a lot about how things can't happen in silos.

So it is a community effort.

So working with them, we started the Youth Action Board, and it's made up of students from Montgomery High School and anyone who lives in Montgomery and a high school student can also participate.

And they champion mental health.

So they get to choose what their goals are.

So what are they looking for?

What are they noticing in school?

And not just, "Okay, this is a problem."

It's, "Well, what are we gonna do about it?"

So we're noticing that kids are having a hard time with social media.

Well, what's our action step?

So right now, one of the big projects is we are working on our social media campaign, funny enough, right?

But we're sharing out, as we're learning different things about mental health, we're sharing that out on our social media platform.

So that's the big thing.

And then we always have an event that we've been working with Municipal Alliance on, and we'll be hosting something in May.

- That's great, something that I know so many folks, especially educators, are making sure they're paying more close attention to.

Also, there's a program, Skills for Success, that you teach your seventh graders.

Talk to us about that.

- Yeah, I'm really fortunate that I get to teach this class.

It's for all seventh graders.

And what's really cool about it is the class is really about learning about themselves.

So I tell them like, "This is gonna be the most fun subject 'cause the subject is you."

So they learn their personality, we do personality assessments, we also learn about their learning styles, and then I teach them coping strategies.

So what is stress?

How does stress impact our body?

And then what do we do about it?

How do we cope with that?

And then later on, they start to learn more about different careers and how those careers might connect with them and their personality type, their strengths, their strengths finder, and also what might be some of the stressors in that job, and how might you handle that?

What are some coping skills that you could see yourself implementing?

- What do you see as those students that are taking this class with you?

Talk about the impact that it's having.

What are you seeing in the classroom?

- So it was really cool to see students utilizing those coping skills and sharing them with their friends.

Or sometimes, you'll overhear something in the hallway where someone's really worried or stressed about something and you can overhear students say, "Well, did you try that breathing technique?

You know, the one that the fingers, like..." So it's really cool to hear and see that happen.

Or parents reporting back that the parent was like, "Oh, I had this really intense meeting at work and my daughter asked me, you know, what I was doing to cope with it."

And they did a mindfulness practice together.

So I think when you watch the student also become the teacher, and to start sharing it not just for themselves, but with others, I think that's just so powerful.

- You've been an educator now for 18 years, and something that we hear so much about is teacher burnout.

And it's one of the reasons we're seeing a teacher shortage across the state and the nation.

How are you avoiding teacher burnout and how do you make sure that other colleagues of yours are avoiding it as well?

- That's a great question.

So, I have to practice what I teach, right?

I have to practice the things that I'm preaching.

So some of the big things that I do for myself is when stuff for me becomes more stressful, or I know that things are more intense, high stakes, that's when I know I have to double down on whatever my self-care practices are.

So for me, my big thing is sleep.

Like, I need nine hours of sleep.

If I can, 10.

Like, I'm a serious sleeper.

And for me, that's something that I know is super supportive.

I'm practicing my mindfulness practices.

The busier that I get, the more I know I have to schedule those things in.

Because if I don't, I don't show up as my best self, and then I'm useless to anyone else.

- That's great advice, too.

Just, you know, making sure we're taking care of ourselves is so important.

And I know the next couple of months and even beyond that are gonna be so transformative for you doing so many different unique things, being the New Jersey State Teacher of the Year.

So congratulations again, Stefanie, and thank you so much for joining us.

- Thank you, thank you so much for having me.

I really appreciate it.

- Thank you so much.

We’ll be right back after this.

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