Pizza Pi, Starbucks reading days are ways Marseilles Elementary’s Cheyenne Timm engages students
Now in her third year at Marseilles Elementary, Cheyenne Timm is known for creating a welcoming, hands-on classroom environment that prepares students academically while helping them build the skills and confidence they’ll need for middle school.
Martin Czernicki brings ‘sense of community’ to Shepherd Middle School’s band program
At Shepherd Middle School in Ottawa, the band class is more than just an extracurricular activity – it’s a place for students to grow, connect and express themselves. Leading the charge is Martin Czernicki, the school’s band
Woodland’s Lisa Jackson provides a ‘safe space’ for students to share, to vent
There are teachers who just do their job, and then there are teachers like Woodland’s Lisa Jackson who change people’s lives.
Ottawa High’s Ellen Gross builds students’ skills – and confidence
At a young age Ellen Gross, then Ellen Goetz, already knew her answer to the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”
Thank You Teacher Letters 2025: The Times
Read our letters submitted by students and parents to The Times for our 2025 Thank You Teachers special edition
From teenage rebel to respected teacher: Fisher uses auto shop to prepare students for the workforce, for life
He was a rebellious student and “slacker” until he stumbled into auto shop. Now, La Salle-Peru High School’s Mike Fisher runs the auto shop to teach his students accountability, professionalism.