Gillian Ober, an English as a Second Language teacher at Freehold Intermediate School in the Freehold Borough School District, has been named the 2025-2026 New Jersey State Teacher of the Year, the New Jersey Department of Education announced on Oct. 8.
Working as an ESL teacher in the Freehold Borough School District since 2019, Ober began her teaching career in 2014, spending several years teaching abroad. Despite the challenges that come with being a new teacher in a foreign land, she found happiness and enrichment working with multilingual students. It was during her first teaching position as an ESL teacher in Phang Nga, Thailand, where she first discovered that education was her calling. “I had found my passion for working with multilingual learners, and New Jersey public schools called me back home.” said Ober.
Her experience in Thailand granted Gillian an empathetic perspective towards her students. In Thailand, she was a newcomer, having to navigate both learning a new culture and a new language. In New Jersey, many of her students are navigating a similar experience. Her understanding of this inspired her to create a safe and welcoming academic environment in her classroom. “My students, often at the earliest stages of English acquisition, turn to me in times of distress as they navigate a new language and culture. I pride myself on trauma-informed practices that help them navigate past ordeals they may have experienced while processing the new world around them.” said Ober. Her respect for her students’ circumstances, coupled with her teaching methods, help ensure that not only will her students learn a new language but also be properly supported.
To increase accessibility, Gillian makes innovative use of AI and technology. For example, she used AI to create a comic book version of the novel, The Wild Robot, to help her students better visualize the story. She has also utilized virtual reality goggles to take students on virtual trips to their home countries through World Heritage sites. In addition, Gillian is piloting the “Speakable” program, an AI platform that assists multilingual students in practicing all four language domains.
Ms. Ober’s impact extends beyond her classroom. She has led workshops for staff, teaching methods on providing support for multilingual students, as well as providing presentations throughout the district on AI integration in the classroom. In addition, she is an adjunct professor at both Monmouth University and Georgian Court University, where she teaches graduate courses on multilingual education. She has written advocacy letters in support of immigrant families facing legal challenges.
As State Teacher of the Year, Gillian will collaborate with the New Jersey Department of Education to advance the teaching profession. This includes giving presentations to colleagues and aspiring teachers, visiting classrooms around the state, and participating in national conferences with other State Teachers of the Year.
To read the full text of the announcement, please click here.
