Cheshire Teacher of the Year Loves Literature

She loves literature and teenagers, so Megumi Yamamoto said being an English teacher at Cheshire High School is the perfect job for her.

On Nov. 17, she will join other honorees at a state Teacher of the Year ceremony as one of four finlaists in the state. Yamomoto is representing the school district as Cheshire Teacher of the Year for 2012.

"I think it’s really an honor because there are so many great teachers in Cheshire and I’m so glad to represent them," she said.

She's known about the honor since early summer, but Yamomoto said she had to keep it a secret from her colleagues until the beginning of the school year when it was announced at the opening convocation for teachers.

Yamomoto is married to Lenny Fritz, who owns The Pantry, a restaurant in New Haven. They have two children, plus a bassett hound, a cat, a parakeet and two hamsters.

She was born in Tokyo, but her family relocated when she was four to the Midwest. She was a top student, and attended Barnard College and then Wesleyan University for her Master’s Degree.

"I always was into school," she said.

Now in her thirteenth year teaching at Cheshire High School, she is the chairwoman of the English Department and this year teaches freshmen and juniors.

Yamomoto said she just finished teaching "The Scarlet Letter" and "The Crucible," which have similar themes even though they were written in different centuries. She said the themes, about doing what you want and standing up for yourself, are still relevant today and resonate strongly with teenagers.