(Left to right) Bill LeTourneau, Irving teacher MJ Tokash, Michael Szilvasy, Karen Szilvasy, Bryan Szilvasy, Camryn (Karen's granddaughter), Jennifer LeTourneau, superintendent Matt Conway.
DERBY — For Irving School teacher Karen Szilvasy, watching students struggling to read at the start of the year and then conquering an entire book by the end of the year is probably the most satisfying part of the job.
“I work with students from 30 minutes a day to an hour a day, who are struggling, particularly with reading,” Szilvasy said. “Some of the kids have been struggling for years and they come to me two or three grade levels below. They feel defeated. But I meet them where they are. We figure out where the gaps are and fill in those gaps. By the end of the year, they accomplish so much. And that, for sure, is what brings me the biggest joy in my job.”
As a special education resource teacher, Szilvasy has been helping Derby students for 23 years.
And her efforts have not gone unnoticed. Szilvasy is Derby’s 2025 Teacher of the Year.
Irving School Principal Marc Russo and the staff surprised Szilvasy with the news during the school’s community meeting last month.
“I was shell shocked,” she said. “My students and some random children I don’t even know were stopping me in the hallway to congratulate me; I felt like a celebrity.”
The Cheshire native, who resides in Durham with her husband, Michael, said pursuing a career in teaching isn’t something she envisioned.
“I don’t have a particular person that inspired me, nor do I have any teachers in my family, but I knew I wanted to do something with kids,” Szilvasy, a mom of two, said. “I took a lot of different courses in college, kind of dabbled in child development courses, and just fell in love with special education.”
Svilvasy earned her masters’ degree in special education, with a specialty in learning disabilities, from Southern Connecticut State University. She began her career teaching in a private school for four years, and then worked another decade in special education in East Haven before coming to Derby.
Szilvasy works with Irving students in grades three to five, struggling with various academic skills. Most of the students she works with have difficulty reading. Instilling confidence in her students is important.
“I like to use silly books for the kids to read and make it fun for them” she said. “I work to get the kids to feel good about themselves, and to help build their confidence. When they see what they can accomplish, and how far they’ve come, and how their confidence has grown, it’s those moments that I find most satisfying.”
Russo, the Irving School principal, said Szilvasy is a great advocate for students.
Some of the people who know Szilvasy best weighed in on her top teacher honor.
“Mrs. Szilvasy is universally held in high regard by her colleagues. She is the ultimate ‘team player’,” Russo said in a prepared statement.
Derby Superintendent of Schools Matthew Conway said Szilvasy goes above and beyond.
“ Her commitment to fostering a nurturing and meaningful learning environment makes her an invaluable asset to our Derby family,” Conway said.
Derby Board of Education chairman Jim Gildea said Szilvasy deserves the honor.
“It is always exciting to see our long-term teachers get honored for the amazing work that they do and the lives they impact,” Gildea said in a prepared statement.
Gildea also gave a shout out to each of Derby’s school-based top teacher awardees, which include Geoff Brookes (Derby High School), Alex Drezek (Derby Middle School), Brianne Potter (Bradley School) and Brianna Celio (Little Raiders University).
When Szilvasy, mom to adult children Jessica and Bryan, isn’t working, she enjoys watching her granddaughter, Camryn, play hockey, having dinner with her mom, Lorraine, every week, gardening, and making her own maple syrup.
