Norman High School Teacher of the Year

Norman High School’s 2025- 2026 teacher of the year is Mrs. Jennifer Bergey. Mrs. Bergey has been teaching at Norman High School as an English Learners educator. This means that she works with students to adapt them to the English language and culture of our country. Students in these classes are non-native English speakers, so English is considered their second language. Mrs. Bergey’s desire is to make Norman High School a safe and comfortable place for every student to feel loved.

Q: “What inspired you to become a teacher and what has kept you passionate about education?”
A: “Some people know that they want to be a teacher when they’re little kids. I didn’t want to be a teacher. I wanted to be a veterinarian. Then I went to college and started taking math classes and realized that wasn’t for me. My first career was in banking. I got laid off from three jobs in three years, and it was hard. I was newly married and a new mom and I needed something to do that would support my family. So I started substitution and I liked it. So I went back to school to become a teacher. I started teaching elementary school and I didn’t really like it. So I started teaching fourth, fifth, and sixth, none of them were for me. At the Junior high that I worked at, the principal had been appointed the principal of a brand new high school. He said, “Bergey, come with me.” So I went to the high school, and that was my place. I found my place. I’ve been teaching kids ever since, but I teach English Learners (ELL) and that’s my passion. There are very capable, bright, and super intelligent kids who just need a place where they can feel comfortable taking those risks to learn. I feel like that’s what keeps me going, because every day with my English Learners I see one kid whose light bulb goes off. I see them make a connection and they carry that connection on through the rest of their life.”


Q: “Looking back, do you remember a particular student or moment that you realized you had picked the right career?”
A: I had a student named Joanna. She came to Norman High from El Salvador, and she walked from her home all the way to the Texas border. She was hardworking, smart,  and courageous. She came to me, she goes, “Mrs. Bergey, I need words. I need words.” So we started with those word lists that you get in elementary school. She kept a notebook and would write those words in her composition, and she would write the translation and she would study them. Every two weeks, I’d give her the next list. In three years, she had learned enough English that when she was at Norman High, she exited the EL program in two years. From absolutely zero English. She was able after two years to take classes with Native English speakers, she was able to graduate, she joined the Navy, and now is a nurse. Those are the success stories that make me come back every single day, because I have a Joanna in every single one of my classes.”


Q: “What has changed most about teaching since you started, for better or worse?”
A: “When I was first starting to teach, everything was on paper. We didn’t have cell phones. I think that has hurt kids from the fact they don’t know how to critically think anymore. They don’t know how to process and to rationalize and to think through steps in order to come to a decision. We have instant access to information now, and you don’t have to think about it. I think kids have grown up faster than they should have. They’ve forgotten how to be kids. We have little adults sitting in our classrooms and that’s hard. Kids need to be kids. That’s an important part of growing up, but our society is changing and you [students] are adapting to it amazingly.”

Q: “ What do you think has stayed the same about good teaching, no matter how the education world changes?
A: “Good teachers make relationships with their kids. Good teaching requires that you know your students, their life, their history, their plans for the future. You get to know your kids, and you build on that relationship. When you’re trusted, kids will be more willing to take those risks.”

Q: “How do you personally build trust in relationships with people with diverse language and cultures?”
A: “I don’t speak all of the languages that are in my classroom. I still take the time to sit down with them to learn about them, to ask them questions, not about school, but just about who they are. Get to know their stories and if I have to have my phone and my translator out, that’s what I do. I find ways to make connections. That’s important.”

Q: “What are some unique challenges ELL students face, and how can the school better support them?”
A: “Well, right now our political climate is not ELL friendly. That’s a big thing, because our students are all experiencing trauma of one sort of another.  I would tell those kids to just come to school. Do everything right, try your hardest, fly under the radar. When it comes to learning, just do your best. Teachers want to help. Other students want to help too. That’s why I tell them, it’s okay to be here. This school is a safe place. We are going to do everything in our power to help keep you safe here. It’s your job as a student to come in and take advantage of everything that’s here.”

Q: “What advice would you give to a new teacher working with ELL students?”
A:  Surround yourself with people who know what they are doing. You know, this is a team effort and you don’t have to go it alone. There are people on campus who are experts in what they do and have worked with English learners for a long time. Just like I tell the kids when they go to college, you make friends with the nerds, you get to know those nerds because those guys are the smartest people. Ask questions, make mistakes. It’s okay to make mistakes, because kids see that you’re trying, and that’s the most important thing.”