Decorated Essex County Teacher Inspires Her City: Immigration, Poetry And The Beatles

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — A published poet from Newark who holds degrees from Harvard, Stanford, Cambridge and Rutgers – and once taught a class in college on The Beatles – continues to score accolades after being named one of the state’s “Teachers of the Year.”

Last week, the New Jersey Department of Education named Carla Ferreira as its 2026-2027 Teacher of the Year in Essex County.

Now entering her 11th year of teaching, Ferreira returned to her old stomping grounds – the Ironbound section of Newark – to teach ninth-grade English and bilingual English and Portuguese during the inaugural year of the School of Architecture and Interior Design.

“I love teaching because each day is an opportunity to learn from my students and help them develop the skills to create a more just and inclusive future,” Ferreira said.

>> RELATED: NJ Names Bilingual Poet As Essex County 'Teacher Of The Year'

While her love of literature, passion for teaching (and being a fan of the Fab Four) have helped lift her to some great accomplishments, becoming a “Teacher of the Year” wasn’t exactly something Ferreira was gunning for.

“I’m someone who doesn’t like the microphone,” she said. “But this, for me, means I can be an advocate for my most vulnerable students.”

The principal at her school, Soraia Mendes, said Ferreira helped the school to set the right tone from the day she joined the faculty: high expectations, intellectual curiosity, collaboration and care.

“Her students know that their languages, identities and ideas matter, and that is what makes her such an extraordinary teacher,” Mendes said.

The Newark Public School District recently shared the following extra insight into Ferreira’s career journey:

WHY TEACHING?

Carla Ferreira has deep Newark roots. She was born to parents who immigrated from Portugal, and she grew up in the Ironbound neighborhood. Her mother taught kindergarten at Oliver Street School and Lafayette Avenue School.

Ferreira was accepted to Harvard, although she knew teaching would be her career long before she applied. While in college, Ferreira did everything she could to be involved in teaching. She volunteered to teach at neighboring schools. For a Harvard weekend program for high school students, Ferreira developed a course about The Beatles.

“I thought the volunteer teaching program would be a great chance to teach something fun and that I likely wouldn't ever get the chance to teach again. That’s how I taught one of my first classes on The Beatles,” said Ferreira, who cites Rubber Soul as her favorite Beatles album with Abbey Road a close second.

After graduating from Harvard with a concentration in English, Ferreira began a circuitous pathway of educational, teaching, and artistic experiences that included earning an education degree at Stanford University, a master’s in philosophy in English at the University of Cambridge, and a master’s in fine arts in poetry from Rutgers University – Newark. She has taught in Bordeaux, France, at her alma mater St. Vincent Academy, at Saint Elizabeth University in Morristown, and at a school district in northern California. In 2024, Ferreira released her first book of poems called A Geography That Does Not Hurt Us, published by River River Books, which includes several poems about Newark and her teaching experiences.

With such an impressive resume, the inevitable question is why Ferreira has committed to a life in teaching. “I’ve been asked outright by family members, ‘Why go to Harvard to become a teacher?” she said. Her response is, “Why not?”

“We are the foundation of society. Every other job – a doctor, an architect, a lawyer – all these jobs that have a lot of prestige behind them, and so many of these people attribute their success to a great teacher.”

And then there are other benefits.

“Every day you learn something new from your students,” Ferreira said. She continued reflecting on her work. “I love getting to be in a field where I marry my love of literature with my love of teaching. At Cambridge, I dug deep into original research on Whitman and T.S. Eliot. Poetry is my passion. As a teacher, I get to help students find their passion and to gain the skills they need to pursue it as thinkers and writers. I try to teach them writing as a process of discovery, not just a checklist of tasks.”

When asked what her favorite part of the job is, Ferreira didn’t equivocate. “The students, hands down, without hesitation,” she said. “Every day that I get to interact with them is a fun day.”

WHY NEWARK?

Ferreira was drawn back to Newark and Newark Public Schools by a desire to serve the city’s students who are immigrants or the children of immigrants. Ferreira is especially proud of the progress made by her bilingual Portuguese-speaking students, who outperformed her honors students on some vocabulary assessments.

“They brought such a passion for reading,” Ferreira said. “Independent reading broadens students’ vocabulary, but it also gives them an opportunity to experience reading as a joy, not simply as another task or test. Once students see that reading can broaden their perspective, introduce them to a new story, and show them that their own stories matter, that changes everything.”

Using methods such as “Turn the Page Thursday,” in which students are given a 40-minute period for independent reading, Ferreira is leveling the educational playing field, particularly for students whose families may not have the time or resources to support sustained reading at home.

Ferreira’s teaching also emphasizes critical analysis and empathy. By using first-person narratives, she helps students to look beyond labels and headlines and understand the experiences of immigrants and other historically marginalized groups. In place of traditional debates, Ferreira frequently uses Socratic seminars centered on cooperation, evidence and respectful disagreement. Students are expected to build upon one another’s ideas, invite classmates into the conversation, synthesize different viewpoints and challenge arguments respectfully.

“This is not about competition. It is about collaboration,” Ferreira said. “I want students to learn how to analyze the world critically and use that analysis to become more empathetic. We need empathy and kindness now more than ever.”

It was Sister June Favata of St. Vincent Academy, who died last September, who encouraged Ferreira to apply to Harvard University.

“I said, ‘What’s the point? I’m not going to get in,” said Ferreira. “And she was on my back about it.” The encouragement paid off.

• Related: These 66 Newark Teachers Are Making The City Proud

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com. Learn more about advertising on Patch here. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site.