– Terri Lynne Lokoff Child Care Foundation Teacher Award Winner
Teacher
Nefira Cajic Masic graduated from the Philosophy University of Tuzla , (previously known as The Pedagogical Academy) in 1992, majoring in Serbo-Croatian Language and Literature; she earned professional certification and gained official title of the secondary education teacher of Bosnian and Serbo- Croatian Language and Literatures, in 1995. During the years of bosnian war, Nefira taught Bosnian language at four schools in the proximity of Lukavac, Gračanica, and Tuzla in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in grades 4 through 8. Through her study and teaching in Bosnia, Nefira gained strong experience in the field of education and developed important skills in improvising, organizing, and facilitating integrated classrooms and literacy programs. Nefira moved to the United States of America in 1997, along with her husband, as bosnian war refugee. She continued her higher education and earned Associate Degree of Science at BHCC, and later, Bachelor in Human Development, and Master Degree in Education at Lesley University. She has been teaching in the field of early childhood education since 2008. Prior years, she worked as an IT/ Database Specialist at Boston Senior Home Care.
During the pandemic time, in 2020, Nefira was able to quickly switch to remote teaching 20 PreK students, developed and implemented a variety of different lesson plans and interactive activities, and maintained close home-school connection with the families to inform about online learning and progress of her students. During that time, she also organized , and has been teaching since, an online Bosnian language classes for both native speakers and EL learners , for children and adults. Nefira is currently employed at J.F. Kennedy Family Services in Charlestown, MA , as a lead teacher of the Universal Pre-K grade, where she has ability to continue to collaborate with leaders and team members from different educational organizations, participate in leadership groups trainings, mentor college students from different educational and medical institutions, supervise and train her own team, and communicate closely with directors, administrators, and other professionals about current innovations, policies, and practices in the field of education. She is experienced in early literacy and elementary instruction and a wide range of teaching curricula. Nefira also serves as an academic tutor at Boston Tutoring Agency , and in her spare time, she is supporting EL learners and native speaker students in K-12 Academic Subjects . She has been passionate about teaching, story reading , and storytelling from an early age, and her inspiration for teaching Bosnian language in particular comes from her love for her homeland Bosnia and Herzegovia, its deep history and culture.
Nefira earned the Terry Lynne Lokoff National Teacher Award in 2019 and was chosen among the first ten teachers in the nation in the field of early education and care. She holds the state certifications for professional education, TESOL certification for grades PreK -12 grade, among other field related certifications. Nefira has been serving as one of the board directors of Maplewood Condominium Trust Association in Malden, as a member of New Teacher Community Group at Lesley University, and as an active volunteer of the New England Friend of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Cambridge – for many years. She is a big animal lover and an active advocate for abused and neglected animals. Nefira is a proud mother of her daughter Dijana, a rising senior college student, and she enjoys having her pets, the two male adapted cats, Brnjo and Nemo, in her life, too. Nefira lives in Malden, MA.
