Two outstanding Willow School teachers — Amy Brecheisen in kindergarten and Anne Wallace in first grade — received Those Who Excel honors from the Illinois State Board of Education.
Brecheisen has been teaching for 17 years. She is a product of District 153 schools and Homewood-Flossmoor High School. When she went to Butler University for her bachelor’s degree, she knew she’d go into teaching. She got her job at Willow immediately after earning her degree.
Brecheisen doesn’t know who nominated her for the Excellence in Teaching Award that recognizes her demonstrated commitment to equity and student success.
Wallace received the Special Recognition Award given to those who have shared their talents with other teachers, families and students. She has been with District 153 for 30 of her 35-year teaching career. She taught first and second grades and was a reading specialist for 20 years. She is retiring in May.
After being nominated, the teachers had to submit letters of support and an essay about themselves and documents about their work for review by a selection committee.
Brecheisen said, “I think I’m very communicative with the families and I pride myself on treating their child with the utmost respect because this is their only year in kindergarten.” It is also the first time they are in school for a full day.
“My students know we can have fun when we’re learning and after learning and during learning, but we have to make sure our classroom is run on respect and kindness and that way we can have all the fun because they know what the expectation is,” she said.
Her classroom has dolls, a play kitchen and a host of other toys because Brecheisen believes “play is extremely important in kindergarten.”
Brecheisen worked through COVID, but it was difficult and not much fun for her students. She would watch the five-year-olds on her computer screen.
“I’d think ‘Oh, if I could just get you into the classroom, I could just…’ Those are the reasons you know kindergarten can never by taught by AI (artificial intelligence) or a robot or anything like that, because you need to see them; they have to interact with their peers.”
Wallace said as a young student she struggled with reading. She really felt a connection with kids as a reading specialist.
“Every child wants to read,” Wallace said. “People who say they’re lazy, or don’t care that’s not true. It’s not that they’re not trying, they’re struggling.” When it comes time to read a book, Wallace let students select their own, rather than giving them a book she knew they could tackle.
“I want them to experience that joy of ‘I picked out a book.’ By self-selecting what they might be interested in, they might keep trying” to read.
She’s been in first grade for six years. It was an adjustment, after not running a classroom for so long, but she became computer savvy during COVID, and she’s tried to give students space to explore and create. The 20 students in her class may only be six years old, but Wallace said she’s always amazed by what they can do.
Teaching is a job where you’re guaranteed at least one hug a day. “I know I will miss the classroom and making connections with the families and my colleagues,” she said.
Brecheisen remembers the quote: We’re not in it for the income, we’re in it or the outcome.
“That truly is what makes me do what I do,” she said, “to help these students read, for that lightbulb moment to go off.”