WOODBURY – The second a student steps into NHS English faculty member Maura White’s classroom, the first thing they will notice is her love for literature. From her collection of books available for students to read, to her student-created posters, the English language comes to life. 

“My love of reading and writing started when I was a little kid,” White said. The daughter of a longtime Shepaug Valley High School history teacher, White’s love of the written word permeates everything she does. “I grew up in a house surrounded by books – books were my favorite birthday present and my favorite Christmas presents, too. I remember so many Christmases as a little kid that once I opened up my books, I started reading them right away and everything else just kept on happening around me.”

For White, a passion for literature is something that flows into her teaching.

“As I got older, I fell in love with the Anne of Green Gables series, Stephen King and believe it or not, the “classics” they taught in school like To Kill a Mockingbird and Hamlet,” White said. 

It’s common for students in White’s class to start each morning with a poem of  the day, a class activity that’s designed to aid students in close reading skills, vocabulary acquisition, and a bit of American history(a tribute to her late father, a former history teacher) that helped to frame each poet’s life. 

“I honestly don’t know where I got the idea of poem of the day from,” White said, reflecting back on her poem-of-the-day activity. “It just came to me one day as I thought about a fun way to expose students to a wide array of poetry and show them that poetry is by no means ‘just one thing.’  

This school year marks White’s 22nd year at NHS where she’s taught everything from freshman English to junior-senior creative writing. Regardless of the course, White brings her love for literature to the classroom, daily. Her enthusiasm for poetry makes her classroom an inviting place for all.

“I love [poetry] more now than I did as a kid, and I think that is because I have been able to read such a wide variety of poems,” White said. “My hope is that with our poem of the day, there will be something for everyone.” 

White’s passion for teaching the art of writing and her ability to connect with her students is something that her colleagues have noticed from the first day they met her. 

“Ms. White is the happiest, most caring person in the world, and she is always willing to do things for everybody,” Jess McKay, English faculty at NHS said. Together, White and McKay have worked side-by-side for over two decades. 

Every corner of White’s classroom is canvased with the creative works of her students, creating a certain validation for what her students create while honing their craft of writing.

“She is really inspiring and always wants to do good for the kids,” McKay said. “Her love for teaching is infectious.”

For White’s students, her love for literature is contagious, and her unique ability to create engaging opportunities to study language is something that’s unforgettable for her students.

“The books [in White’s class] are really interesting,” Lucas Dombkowski, freshman at NHS said. “Going into groups for reading is fun; the atmosphere makes me feel welcome.”

While teaching in the 21st century can have its challenges, for faculty like Maura White, her energy makes every class memorable.

“Her teaching style is very energetic and Ms. White always brings the attention forward with her passion,” Dombkowski said.