Worcester honors Linda McSweeney for four decades of teaching

Linda McSweeney received citations from the governor of Massachusetts and the City of Worcester on the evening a seventh-grade student, Sianna Som, praised McSweeney’s roughly 40 years in the classroom.

"They say a great teacher can change everything," said Sianna Som, a seventh-grader who told the committee she considers McSweeney the teacher who changed her life. Som described McSweeney’s emphasis on curiosity and community, saying, "She has always taught us to stay curious, never lose our sense of wonder, and keep observing the world." Som closed by presenting a citation to McSweeney and urging teachers to look for "the Teddy in your class," an anecdote she used to illustrate how attentive teachers can alter a student’s trajectory.

Mayor Joseph Ampetti praised McSweeney’s resilience and adaptability over decades of teaching, noting the profession’s recent challenges including technological change and the pandemic. Ampetti said the district and city were recognizing McSweeney ‘‘for her years of dedication and a deep, enduring passion for science and learning,’’ and announced certificates of recognition signed by himself, the superintendent, and the school committee. As read by Ampetti, Erin McMahon, principal, said, "Linda's legacy is not only found in the countless students she has taught, but in the colleagues she has shaped and inspired."

The presentation emphasized McSweeney’s long service to local schools and her classroom practices—encouraging risk-taking, centering human connection, and fostering student curiosity. The event was a formal recognition only; no board action or vote was recorded on the item.

The program concluded with a final expression of thanks to McSweeney from the mayor and attendees.