Official Site of The State of New Jersey

County: Monmouth
School/District: Freehold Intermediate School / Freehold Borough School District
Teaches: English as a Second Language

Gillain Ober Showcase Video

English as a Second Language Teacher at Freehold Intermediate School in the Freehold Borough School District

Gillian Ober is a passionate and innovative educator dedicated to advancing equity and opportunity for multilingual learners. She brings over ten years of experience in education and has emerged as a leader whose influence extends well beyond her own classroom.

Gillian’s journey as an educator began internationally, teaching English in Phang Nga, Thailand, where she discovered her lifelong commitment to multilingual education. Immersed in a new language and culture herself, she experienced firsthand the challenges and resilience of being a newcomer. This experience has shaped her empathetic approach to teaching and continues to guide her work with students and families navigating similar journeys in New Jersey.

In her classroom, Gillian creates a safe, welcoming, and academically rigorous environment for students who are often new to the United States and at the earliest stages of English acquisition. She is especially recognized for her trauma-informed practices, ensuring students not only learn a new language but also feel valued, respected, and supported. Her students’ trust endures long after they leave her classroom, as many continue to seek her guidance in their educational and personal lives.

A hallmark of Gillian’s teaching is her innovative use of technology and AI to increase accessibility. She has developed comic book versions of novels like The Wild Robot to engage students across a wide range of literacy levels and is currently piloting the “Speakable” program, an AI-supported platform designed to help multilingual learners practice all four language domains. These creative approaches ensure that every learner, whether pre-literate, gifted, or somewhere in between, can meaningfully access grade-level content.

Gillian’s leadership extends across her school and district. She helped to spearhead a groundbreaking partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense’s Starbase STEM program, providing students with immersive, hands-on experiences in robotics, coding, and engineering. She also plays a key role in professional development, leading workshops for new staff on supporting multilingual students and presenting districtwide on the integration of AI in education.

Her impact is also felt in higher education and the broader professional community. As an adjunct professor at Monmouth University and Georgian Court University, she has taught undergraduate and graduate courses, even designing curriculum for Monmouth’s Honors College. She has presented at conferences in New Jersey and Washington State, including NJTESOL, and published peer-reviewed articles and book chapters that contribute to the growing scholarship in multilingual education. Gillian holds bachelor’s degrees in Hispanic Language and Literature and English Language and Literature from Boston University, and master’s degrees in teaching from Monmouth University and curriculum and instruction from Western Governors University.

Recognized for her excellence, Gillian has received multiple honors, including the Western Governors University Award of Excellence, the New Jersey Distinguished Clinical Intern Award, and Monmouth University’s Excellence in ESL Award. Her dedication also extends to families where she has led parent workshops that increased engagement with school systems and even written advocacy letters in support of immigrant families facing legal challenges.

At the heart of Gillian Ober’s career is a deep respect for her students’ identities and the belief that multilingualism is a superpower. Whether teaching in an open-air classroom in Thailand, leading innovative programs in Freehold Borough, or contributing to the field through research and publication, she is driven by one mission, to empower multilingual learners and their families to thrive.