“Gillian Ober, Monmouth County Educator, Named 2025–2026 New Jersey State Teacher of the Year”

NJEA is proud to partner with the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE), New Jersey School Boards, and Educational Testing Services (ETS) on the Teacher of the Year program. We are proud to announce that Gillian Ober from Monmouth County has been selected as the 2025-2026 New Jersey State Teacher of the Year.

Gillian has worked as an ESL teacher in the Freehold Borough School District since 2019, first at the Park Avenue Elementary School and currently at the Freehold Intermediate School. She has earned dual master's degrees, one in curriculum and instruction from Western Governors University and another in Spanish and ESL instruction from Monmouth University. She taught abroad for several years before starting work in New Jersey as a Spanish teacher at Manasquan High School.

Gillian started teaching in 2014, with one of her first jobs as an ESL teacher in Phang Nga, Thailand. It was there in 102-degree heat, with monsoon rains pouring through the ceiling of an open-air classroom with a roof and open sides, that she discovered her calling. Gillian incorporates technology into her instruction, such as utilizing artificial intelligence to create a comic book to help her students visualize the novel they're reading and using virtual reality goggles to take students on computer-generated field trips to World Heritage Sites in their home countries. Outside the classroom, she works as an adjunct professor at Monmouth and Georgian Court Universities, where she helps current and prospective teachers gain insight into working with multilingual learners. She has been published in academic textbooks and peer-reviewed journals.

"Gillian Ober represents the very best of New Jersey's educators - those who teach not just with skill, but with heart," said NJEA President Steve Beatty. "Her work reminds us that true education is about connection, understanding and the belief that every child deserves to be seen and valued. She is a model of what it means to lead with compassion and purpose in today's classrooms.

NJEA Vice President Petal Robertson highlighted Ober's dedication to inclusion and equity. "Gillian's commitment to her multilingual learners shows what happens when equity and excellence walk hand in hand," Robertson said. "She creates spaces where students' languages and cultures are celebrated as assets, not obstacles."

"Gillian's passion radiates through everything she does - from empowering her students to mentoring fellow educators," NJEA Secretary-Treasurer Tina Dare said. "She reminds all of us that teaching is both an art and a calling. Her energy, creativity and deep empathy inspire the entire education community to dream bigger for our students and ourselves."

Some of the perks of being the New Jersey Teacher of the Year, are that Ober is entitled to an all-expense paid, six-month sabbatical, from January through June 2026, to attend national and state conferences, to tour the state visiting classrooms and to work on various initiatives at the New Jersey Department of Education, courtesy of program sponsor ETS. NJEA will provide technology equipment, a rental car, equipped with EZ Pass, to help her travel to speaking engagements and meetings across the state. NJEA will also provide complimentary access to all major NJEA workshops and training opportunities, a $500 clothing allowance, media training and communications support, and funding for a trip to Washington, D.C. to meet with the other state teachers of the year and the President of the United States.