This past December, West Morris Central’s Mr. Coiro was named a 2023 NJDOE Exemplary Educator. According to NJ.gov, “Exemplary Educators exhibit strong knowledge and skills, an inspiring presence, and a positive impact on students, colleagues and the school community.”
Mr. Coiro admitted that he was surprised to learn that he had received this honor, but “had a feeling of gratitude to be acknowledged for what [he does].”
The chemistry and robotics teacher was first inspired to pursue this career while working as a TA in an Organic Chemistry class at Rutgers, the university from which he received a degree in Chemical Engineering and Chemical Biology. “I had a lot of good feedback from students and professors in a single semester, so it just felt right. The rest is history,” he explained.
Over the eleven years that Mr. Coiro has been a teacher, he has discovered that his favorite part of the job is “the ability to connect with students both on an academic and a personal level.” He described the joy he experiences watching students learn to tackle complex problems using a “logical set of steps.” “In my opinion, this is a perfect analog to life: it can be daunting and complicated, but if you slow it down and take it piece by piece, there is beauty in all of it,” he reflected.
The Paw would like to congratulate Mr. Coiro for this well-deserved honor!
