Nishan Dagley named Lexington Teacher of Year

by Tom Vartabedian

Published: Friday January 14, 2011

Deacon Nishan Dagley.

Lexington, Mass. - As a youngster, Nishan Dagley had little regard for school. He hated his teachers and other students poked fun at his strange name and diminutive size. Because Armenian was his primary household language, faulty communication skills were another setback.

"Sometimes, I cried and got spanked," recalled the 59-year-old. "As punishment, I got sent to the back of my class. I had my share of abuse and the teacher didn't help. It was a lousy experience."

At the tender age of six, his future was already predetermined. He wanted to become an educator and change the profession. He looked to give persecuted students a better experience than he was receiving in the primary grades.

Hundreds applauded as Dagley's name was announced as Teacher of the Year recently in Lexington, a high-profile educational community where he teaches first grade at Harrington School.

It's been a prolific career that has spanned 35 years during which time he has gained the admiration of students and teachers alike, ever since receiving his graduate degree from Boston University. Over that time, he has taught all elementary grades and the full curriculum gamut.

"Being selected to such a profound group is quite intimidating," he says with humility. "It won't change my style any. I tend to be a casual, low-key sort of guy. One of the best compliments came from a student's parent. He told me I was more like a dad than a teacher. That beats any award."

It's Dagley's impression that such a token be shared by those who teach alongside him every day and symbolizes a profession that often goes unsung and decimated, especially during these difficult economic times.

"I'm not an educator in a vacuum," he's quick to admit. "As teachers, we feed off one another every day. Any recognition is work we've done together."

In addition to a full academic load, Dagley also serves as coordinator of the mentoring program which oversees the development of new teachers in the system.

What's more, he also received a coveted award for implementing technology into the curriculum shortly after his dad was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and later died. Dagley also lost his mother to cancer and has a wife Carolyn who is currently in remission for breast cancer. His brother Haroutiun, an Armenian Apostolic Diocesan priest, succumbed to a pulmonary embolism at age 46, leaving behind two young children and a wife of 13 years.

Nishan is Armenian on his mother's side (Berberian) and was raised in both the Armenian Apostolic and American Baptist churches.

He later taught Sunday school for five years at Holy Trinity Armenian Church in Cambridge and is currently an ordained deacon at St. Gregory Armenian Church in North Andover.

In making the announcement, Assistant Supt. Carol Pilarski describes a teacher who gives unassumingly and tirelessly every day in bringing out the best in his students and colleagues.

"Nishan Dagley finds enormous joy and satisfaction in helping students learn and seeing new teachers move forward with their careers," said Pilarski. "This teacher conveys a deep caring and commitment to our profession through relationships with others and the high standards he has set for himself. He holds students accountable with a loving heart."

Dagley was singled out for being a pioneer in using technology to improve student learning and has willingly taken on leadership opportunities to help the school system move forward.

Electronic portfolios are used regularly in his classroom to engage students and inform parents in authentic assessment. Through video vignettes, students have the opportunity to see for themselves how they are progressing in reading and mathematics.

"My first-graders are at a point where they are computer savvy for research and can give a power point presentation," Dagley pointed out. "We're in the process of introducing student response systems in class where answers are sent by remote control to my computer and nobody can hide."

Nothing has stymied Dagley's efforts to bring innovation into the classroom. In this era of budgetary constraints, he's written and received many grants to support new ideas.

Humble and unassuming by nature, Dagley is always willing to share know-how through mentoring and coaching. He was a member of the science curriculum review committee and engineered curricular challenges in the elementary grades.

At high school commencements each year, graduates recall with fervor how Dagley made school fun for them and paved the way toward a better learning experience.

Despite all the adversity that has plagued his life, he continues to place his faith in God each day. His Sunday mornings are spent in a deacon's robe, performing a myriad of roles in the Armenian Church.

Wife Carolyn has been in remission for two years following a rigorous bout of treatment. She serves as a notetaker for disabled students at Northern Essex Community College. Three children offer a tight network of love and support.

There was a time in Dagley's life when he was beckoned toward the priesthood to finish the work his brother started. Nishan was prepared to go the distance, even if it meant being well into his 60s before being vested.

Now, that's debatable. As teacher of the year, it seems education has a slight edge over the clergy.