Congratulations to Countrywood Teacher of the Year nominee, Ms. Jessica Farmer.  Ms. Farmer is an ENL teacher who started her career at Countrywood in 2017.  Her colleagues say she constantly goes above and beyond for both students and staff at Countrywood.  Ms. Farmer doesn’t just spend her time at school teaching in the classroom.  She is an active member of many different groups that make Countrywood a fun and safe place to learn.  She has been the PTA Staff Liaison, started the school’s P.S. I Love You Committee, and has been a contributing member of Countrywood’s book room committee.

Getting students to read is obviously a passion of Ms. Farmer’s because to make sure that all students have access to books, she has visited Book Fairies on a couple of weekends to collect hundreds of books for both book baggies, as well as free book fairs at Countrywood.  She also provides services to ENL students at ENL Extended Day both before and after school.

Ms. Farmer is known to her fellow educators as a knowledgeable and resourceful mentor who is always available to support teachers in the building working with the ENL population.  She can also be counted on to volunteer at school events. To further her success as an educator, Ms. Farmer completed her Leadership Degree from Stony Brook University in 2020. When she finds free time, she likes to spend it reading (of course!), and playing and walking with her dog Luna.

Ms. Farmer’s fourth grade teacher was the inspiration for her career as an educator.  Her teacher shared her love of reading and was a true role model helping Ms. Farmer to realize she wanted to make a difference in children’s lives and share her love of learning with them. But the best part is that she learns from her students every day. They continue to increase her Spanish fluency, and she says listening to her bilingual students use both languages fluently is beautiful!

Countrywood Principal, Mr. Mitch Levy (left), and Assistant Principal, Ms. Kellie Njenga (right), present Ms. Jessica Farmer as the primary school's Teacher of the Year.