Orchard Gardens coach named Teacher of the Year semifinalist

Boston Public Schools announced that Mansur Buffins, an instructional coach at Orchard Gardens K-8 School, has been named a semifinalist for 2027 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year.

Buffins is one of seven educators the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) selected as semifinalists. The process began with 347 nominations from across the state.

Buffins joined Boston Public Schools in 2022 as a substitute teacher while pursuing a master's degree in Education Leadership, Organizations and Entrepreneurship at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He later taught Humanities courses at Community Academy, where he worked with students for several years before moving into instructional coaching. He joined the Orchard Gardens K-8 community in September 2026.

The district said Buffins focuses on the conditions that help students thrive: affirming relationships, high expectations, meaningful intellectual challenges and targeted support. It said this approach reflects the qualities the Teacher of the Year program recognizes, including advancing student learning, student-centered instruction and leadership beyond the classroom.

"I work in education in the tradition of excellent educators such as Dr. Carter G. Woodson and Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune," Buffins said in the release, describing his aim of creating learning experiences that affirm young people and help them contribute to their families and communities.

Source: Boston Public Schools announcement, November 5, 2026.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the original announcement.