Normal, IL: Illinois ‘Teacher of the Year’ finalist Nancy Wojtanowski teaches disabled students :Sept 14 2011

NORMAL – A Unit 5 teacher is one of the finalists for the Illinois State Board of Education “Teacher of the Year.”

Nancy Wojtanowski teaches disabled students at Parkside Elementary.

“Those impairments are the physically disabled, medical fragile, and they have severe cognitive disabilities,” she said.

Wojtanowski has been a teacher for 23 years and was nominated by her administrator, Shelly Erickson. She says she’s flattered by the nomination.
“Just the nomination, to begin with from the district, was a really huge honor. And so to be in the top nine is a little overwhelming, really,” Wojtanowski said.

There were 175 nominations from across the state send to the board this year.

“Every day these nine teachers encourage, support and engage students in learning,” said Illinois State Board of Education Chairman Gery J. Chico. “Illinois is fortunate to have many, many outstanding teachers who are committed to helping students achieve and succeed. The teachers who have been chosen as finalists represent the best of the best, and this program enables us to publicly recognize them for their dedication to education.”

The Teacher of the Year will be announced during the “Those Who Excel” banquet Oct. 22 at the uptown Normal Marriott. The Teacher of the Year will also represent Illinois at NASA Space Camp in Huntsville, Ala., and in the Council of Chief State School Officers’ National Teacher of the Year Program. The 2010 Teacher of the Year is Annice Brave from Alton High School.

The finalists this year include: Nancy Wojtanowski, Parkside Elementary School in Unit 5; Carol Bivins at P.H. Miller Elementary School in Plano; Sandra Curran at Lincoln Middle School in Edwardsville; Melissa Byrne from Haines Middle School in St. Charles; Julie Knutson at O’Fallon Township High School; Jeffrey Lehman from Freeport High School; Carol Mertes from Clifford Johnson School in East Aurora; Josh Stumpenhorst from Lincoln Junior High School in Naperville; and Rebecca Wattleworth at Warrensburg-Latham High School.

#Source: WJBC article By: Stephanie Pawlowski Sept 14 2011
Stephanie Pawlowski can be reached at stephanie@wjbc.com.