#47 Sussex County Teacher Edition: Lafayette / Barbara McIntyre

"I feel that it's really important for educators to focus on the whole child, not just the academic piece because children today are dealing with so many emotions."

- Barbara McIntyre

One of the one things I’ve come to know about facing challenges and tragedies is that kids of all ages sitting in classrooms all throughout Sussex County and the state of New Jersey suffer greatly from them. Year after year I witness these levels in children increasing. Students trust themselves less, they lack resiliency, as well as the ability to cope with minor disruptions.

My Mission

As the Sussex County Teacher of the Year with a platform for embedding yoga and mindfulness into daily classroom instruction, it's become my mission to seek out other teachers in the county who are making tremendous shifts in the learning process for kids.  While I accept this honor very graciously, I also acknowledge the fact that there are many other teachers in the county who deserve to be highlighted for implementing the same practices.

With the help of our Executive County Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Rosalie Lamonte, and all the Chief Administrators in the county, I‘ve been able to make some great connections, hear some inspirational stories, and learn about the healthy goodness that’s happening with our kiddos in the classroom to help them build strong social and emotional character, which creates a solid foundation to confront the personal and academic challenges they are facing.               

"She's [Superintendent Jennifer Cenatiempo] encouraging teachers and all the kids to come in and not really get down to work, but really to have an opportunity to talk to one another;  to see what's going on in each other's lives; to share how they're feeling that morning, - and it's been a very important piece for the teachers to get to know the students on that personal level and be much more sensitive to their needs, not only their academic needs but their emotional needs."

- Barbara McIntyre

Contact Barbara: [email protected]