Wicomico County Public Schools Name 2025-2026 Teacher of the Year

Image courtesy Wicomico County Public Schools

Wicomico County Public Schools has named the 2025-2026 Wicomico Teacher of the Year. English teacher Emma Cohn Matthews from Wicomico High School was named the Teacher of the Year during Thursday’s Celebration in Delmar. Matthews has been at WiHi for 7 years and is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in Literacy Studies at Salisbury University – and is working toward National Board Certification.

She will represent Wicomico County in the Maryland Teacher of the Year Recognition Program – the statewide winner will be announced in October.

Additional information from Wicomico Public Schools:

“I hope that my students know that they always have a safe place in my classroom, and I hope that I can provide them the skills to become successful and critical thinkers once they leave my classroom,” Mrs. Cohn Matthews said in her semifinalist video interview. “I take a lot of time to maybe not learn all the languages, but try to learn a little bit of the languages of some of the students that I teach so that way I can, at a bare minimum, try to find ways to communicate with them. I take a lot of time to learn what their interests are so I can talk to them about their interests. I do whatever I can to hopefully allow them to have them have a space where they can be themselves.”

Mrs. Cohn Matthews began teaching with Wicomico County Public Schools in August 2018, and has spent all seven years at Wicomico High. A dedicated leader at her school, she is in her fifth year as the PBIS chair and her second year as the English and World Language Department chair. Mrs. Cohn Matthews is an advisor of WiHi’s GSA, an after-school tutor, a mentor teacher and an adjunct professor at Salisbury University. She is a member of the National Council of Teachers of English, National Education Association and the Maryland Literacy Association.

“Education is not just about delivering content, it’s about empowering students to see themselves as capable, valued, and prepared for the future,” Mrs. Cohn Matthews wrote in the written prompt packet that was part of the Teacher of the Year judging process. “Through my research and practice, I remain committed to ensuring that the curriculum serves as a bridge to student success, rather than a barrier. As I continue my research and teaching, I am committed to advocating for student-centered instruction and shaping learning environments that foster both academic and personal growth.”

Following the announcement of her name on Thursday evening, the Board of Education presented her with the traditional engraved golden apple award that the Board gives only to the Wicomico Teacher of the Year.

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