From left to right: Gov. Maura Healey, German Gerena Community School Kindergarten Teacher Desiree Garcia and First Lady Joanna Lydgate posed with flowers after announcing Garcia as Teacher of the Year.
Reminder Publishing photo by Peter Tuohy
SPRINGFIELD — Out of 76,000 teachers in Massachusetts, German Gerena Community School Kindergarten teacher Desiree Garcia is officially the 2026 Teacher of the Year.
The Teacher of the Year award is an annual recognition of a Massachusetts public school teacher, who demonstrates teaching excellence, innovation, student-centered learning and leadership.
The program is run by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and recipients each year automatically become the state’s candidate for National Teacher of the Year.
Gov. Maura Healey, First Lady Joanna Lydgate, Education Secretary Steve Zrike, DESE Commissioner Pedro Martinez, Mayor Domenic Sarno, Wellpoint General Manager David Morales and various state and local officials gathered at Gerena on Oct. 29 for Garcia’s surprise recognition.
Garcia was also a recipient of the 2024 Pioneer Valley Excellence in Teaching Award.
Healey said Massachusetts has the best schools in the country because it has the best students and the best teachers.
“One of the ways we celebrate our teachers is we pick one, just one, out of 76,000,” Healey said. “You can imagine how hard it is to pick just one teacher. We go out, we learn a lot about our teachers, and this year, we hit such a winner, such a winner. We found our teacher of the year.”
Healey invited the large crowd of students and staff in the Gerena auditorium to join in on a drumroll before announcing Garcia as this year’s winner.
“You know there are so many things that Ms. Garcia is great at,” Healey said. “She’s great at coming up with interesting and inclusive lesson plans … She’s also working really hard to help the other amazing teachers at Gerena. Ms. Garcia is always looking for something new, something fun, something interesting and engaging for her students, and she works hard to make all of our students active and involved, and makes each and every one of you better.”
She said whether you’re a student, teacher, a parent or even a governor, Garcia “sets an example for all of us.”
Healey thanked Garcia for her “excellence” and presented her with a governor’s citation.
Martinez recognized Superintendent Sonia E. Dinall, Gerena Principal Cynthia Escribano and Garcia. He said the recognition isn’t just a celebration for Teacher of the Year, it’s a celebration of culture and language.
He described the award’s review process and said Garcia might be the first candidate to receive perfect scores.
“Not only do we see great instruction and excellence in her classroom, but she was raising the identity of her children, celebrating them, immediately ensuring that every student could see themselves at the highest potential that you have,” Martinez said. “For parents, isn’t that what we want for all of our children? Ms. Garcia does that effortlessly every single day.”
Garcia took the podium and recognized those who have helped shape her as a teacher.
“To the entire Gerena staff, thank you for creating an environment where I have been able to thrive,” Garcia said. “So much of what I know about teaching has come from the people I work beside everyday. You have shared your knowledge, encouraged me, challenged me and reminded me that being a great educator doesn’t mean having all the answers. It means being willing to keep learning. I am a better teacher because of all of you.”
She spoke out to the entire Gerena community and thanked it for “trusting me with your utmost precious gift – children.”
“It’s a privilege I will never take for granted,” Garcia said. “Bilingualism is not simply an academic goal. It is a part of who we are. It is our families, our cultures, our stories and our identities. Our dual language program does something incredibly powerful and tells children that the language they speak at home matters. It tells families that their culture is valued, and it teaches our students that knowing more than one language is powerful.”
Garcia said she “never wants that child to feel they must leave a part of themselves at the door to be successful in school.”
“I want them to know their language is a strength, their identity is something to celebrate and their voices deserve to be heard,” Garcia said. “I want every child, regardless of the language they speak, to discover the beauty in learning from one another and the beauty of your culture.”
Morales said his three favorite holidays are Christmas, Easter and Teacher of the Year.
Before the recognition concluded, he presented Garcia with a check for a $10,000 grant for the school.
