A N.J. educator is one of four finalists for a National Teacher of the Year Award. Meet Joseph Nappi.

For only the fourth time in more than 50 years, a New Jersey educator is among four finalists for National Teacher of the Year.

Joseph Nappi, 41, of Jackson, was named New Jersey Teacher of the Year in October representing Monmouth County from a field of 20 other county finalists for the top honor. The Rowan University graduate has spent his entire career at Monmouth Regional High in Tinton Falls, where he teaches U.S. history to sophomores, and a Holocaust, Genocide and Modern Humanity class to seniors. His blog, Ten Concrete Tips for Teaching About the Holocaust, has been published by PBS.

The winner will be selected in April by the Council of Chief State School Officers in Washington, D.C., and the recipient will spend the next year on sabbatical, traveling around the country to promote the profession, share experiences with other teachers, advocate for students, and meet with policymakers.

The finalists, which also represent Alaska, Georgia and Tennessee, were chosen by a national selection committee based on written applications from a field that included teachers from all 50 states and U.S. territories.

We talked to Nappi — husband of a high school English teacher and father of two daughters, ages 9 and 12 — about his Teacher of the Year nomination, his career, his hopes for public education, and his belief that “There are no bad kids. They’re just kids going through bad things.”

No, I had never wanted to be a teacher, honestly. I did not have a great relationship with schooling.… I was a discipline issue in eighth grade. So, my mom sent me to Catholic school, thinking they would straighten me out with the nuns. I got booted out of Catholic school.

I ended up moving in with my dad and going to Bayonne High School. At the end of senior year, I was caught forging doctors’ notes. They could have kicked me out. I was pulling passing grades even though I was missing upwards of 50 days in my senior year. They decided at the end of the year that they would give me a diploma, but I wasn’t allowed to participate in prom or graduation.

When I left, the last place I thought I was going was back into education.

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Really, the event that kind of changed my life in my sophomore year in college was Sept. 11. We had a close family friend … who was killed in the South Tower. That was really devastating for me to go through. It really made me question what was my purpose here, what was I doing?

I was looking for a way that I could make a positive impact. It was my girlfriend at the time, who is now my wife, who suggested to me that she thought I would be a great teacher. I kind of laughed it off at first. I thought it was a ridiculous idea.

I did not receive a traditional education in the Holocaust through my 12 years of schooling. So I actually learned about the Holocaust from a heavy metal song [Slayer’s “Angel of Death”] … It talked about a place called Auschwitz. I thought this was a made-up story … until it was mentioned in my junior history class … and there was a survivor speaking at City Hall in Bayonne and that person had survived Auschwitz. I kind of perked up in the back of the room. As I got to meet with survivors and hear their stories … there’s a real beauty in that that really touched me and changed me in ways that is hard to put into words.

I really hope that my students leave feeling empowered.

One of the things that I’ve learned through my life is that you have far more power than you give yourself credit for. I am purposeful in my class about showing students both beauty and diversity and the agency of people in diverse circumstances to make positive change. I hope that my students in my class understand the value in accepting others.

The important thing for teachers is to have a reset button every day. Sometimes, the kids who need the most love are the toughest to love. It’s going to be challenging, no two ways about it. Kids will live up to your expectations. Have that welcoming [attitude] — no matter how bad our last interaction was, “I’m happy to see you, and I’m happy that you’re back, and we’re going to start again.” There are no bad kids; they’re just kids going through bad things.

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I can’t say I saw it coming. It’s flattering and somewhat overwhelming. It’s been really humbling for me to get all of these accolades. I know many teachers who are amazing, arguably some better than I am. Of course, it would be great if I can bring it home for the teachers of New Jersey. I think it would mean a lot for the teachers in the state.