“A little overwhelmed, very surprised, and shocked,” is how Norwich Free Academy social studies teacher Jessica Chapman described her feelings this morning immediately after finding out that she is the 2024 Connecticut recipient of the Milken Educator Award, which comes with $25,000.
Known as the Oscars of teaching, Milken awardees have no idea they’ve been nominated for the prestigious award, and Chapman, along with her colleagues and the hundreds of students gathered in the NFA gym, first thought this morning’s assembly was simply to welcome the Commissioner of Education to their school.
Once it became clear that the assembly was really organized to bestow a special award on one NFA teacher, Chapman said she was texting with a colleague, telling her friend that she was sure it was another teacher who would be named the awardee. Chapman describes herself as someone who likes to fly under the radar and couldn’t fathom how the Milken Family Foundation could have learned about her work in Norwich.
“Some of the best teachers I’ve ever met in my life work here, so it’s shocking to me that I’m receiving this award, and I’m probably receiving it because of them,” Chapman said.
“At the Milken Foundation, we believe educators have the most important job in our country because they have the responsibility of preparing all of you for a bright future,” Milken Educator Awards Senior Vice President Dr. Jane Foley told students. “We don’t clap and hold ceremonies for educators very often. Only if we elevate the teaching profession will talented young people like you here at NFA, consider a career in education.”
Chapman was shocked to receive the award, but her students felt differently.
“I wasn’t surprised at all,” said senior Adiba Haque, a student in Chapman’s UConn dual-enrollment sociology class. “I was saying to my friends around me, ‘It’s probably going to be Ms. Chapman.’ I just got a feeling while they were talking about the award.”
Haque added, “She’s just really down to earth. She creates a really nice environment in her class—you never feel pressure even though it’s a UConn class.”
“I think she really deserves the award, and I was really happy,” said fellow senior and sociology class student Cathleen Mai, who commended Chapman’s outlook. “She’s always ready to uplift us, she has a positive attitude every day in class, and she’s just a very understanding person.”
Spoken like a true high schooler, Haque also praised Chapman for her snacks. “A lot of teachers have snacks, but she has really good snacks. There’s candy and pretzels and stuff, and she lets you take some whenever you want.”
Leading inside and outside the classroom
Aside from the UConn sociology class, most of the classes Chapman teaches are focused on supporting multilingual learners. The NFA student body represents over 30 different primary languages and nine percent of students were born outside of the U.S.
NFA students find out how much of a financial award the Milken winner receives.
“Jessica teaches every kind of student at NFA,” says History and Social Studies Department Head Dr. Karen Cook, a former Milken awardee. “She challenges them at every level, prepares them, and differentiates the work so they can access it—especially for students who have just arrived in the U.S. She uses translation services, differentiated assignments, and a lot of creativity. She’ll have her kids who’ve been in the country for maybe only a couple of weeks debating what laws should be developed. She’s just outstanding.”
In 2022, Chapman, who has been teaching for 11 years, took a year-long leave of absence from NFA to teach at an international school in El Salvador with the goal of improving her Spanish. Upon her return, she developed a workshop for her colleagues on navigating the arrival of new students from Central America and better serving this expanding population of learners.
“Jessica is a mentor, a leader, a champion of each student who walks into her classroom, and is incredibly deserving of this honor and award,” said Commissioner of Education Charlene Russell-Tucker.
Chapman prioritizes forming connections with students, and in one special case that connection has gone far beyond the classroom. One of Chapman’s former students is now her foster son.
“This school has turned me into the educator that I am,” Chapman says. “Without these kids, this administration, this staff—without the support that I have here, I wouldn’t be the teacher I am. I hope that I’m an advocate for kids who may not always feel that they have a voice, and also an advocate for kids to feel like it’s okay to not be okay. They know that they have a safe place in my classroom and that I will take care of them.”
Surprised with $25,000, Chapman says she has no idea yet what she’ll put the money towards, though it could come in handy for her own education as she is in the middle of her fourth college program—this one a multilingual-learner administrator certificate.
Chapman also serves as a senior class advisor and organizes milestone activities like a class trip, prom, and graduation. She coaches the varsity girls golf team and develops mental health, sportsmanship, and collegiate athletic programming.
“If you ask anyone in education, we do this for the kids,” Chapman says. “They give us as much support back as we give them.”
