Morton Grove special education teacher Jerika Gill won a Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching, which she was awarded during a surprise event held Monday afternoon.
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Gill, who has worked at Julia S. Molloy Education Center for eight years, is one out of 10 award recipients in Illinois and 600 nominations statewide. The award recognizes teachers who have made a long-lasting impact on their students and school community.
Around 150 members of the school community all gathered in the school gymnasium to celebrate Gill and her win. The secret had been kept for weeks by Gill’s family and her colleagues. Her parents, who had flown in from Alabama, were also in attendance, along with Gill’s husband and their three-week old daughter.
“I’m in shock, but it feels really good knowing how many people believe in me and Molloy,” said Gill in an interview with the Pioneer Press. “This is for everyone, all my teachers and coworkers should be just as celebrated.”
During the assembly, Golden Apple representatives rushed to the front of the gymnasium to surprise Gill with a $5,000 check and a gift basket of chocolates. The award also offers teachers a spring sabbatical through Northwestern University at no cost.
Alan Mather, president of the Golden Apple Foundation, has been handing out the awards for seven years — a part of the job that never gets old, he said.
“It’s pretty joyful to be going around for two weeks and celebrating great educators,” said Mather. “Jerika has obviously made a huge impact on the school and the school community. We heard that from the teachers, parents, students and everyone we talked to in the administration about her and her impact.”
He added that with a statewide and nationwide teacher shortage, recognizing the hard work of educators is even more important.
Gill’s passion for teaching special education started early in life. Growing up from Rochester, New York, she recalled being in second grade when a student with disabilities joined her classroom with the help of a student aide.
“I just thought it was so neat that he was able to join our class for art and all of these different activities,” said Gill in a previous interview.
This experience stayed with Gill and after giving therapy to students with autism and behavioral needs, she decided to try teaching within a school setting.
Gill started at Julia S. Molloy Education Center as an aide and worked her way to a full-time teacher. She currently teaches students in 4th through 6th grade who have a variety of learning needs including communication, social, emotional and learning with the support of two student aides.
One example of an impact she made on her classroom was helping reduce a student’s behavioral incidents from 12 a day to just two or three by showing the student to use an Augmentative and Alternative Communication device to request breaks.
Most of the time, behavioral challenges from students stem from frustration and not an act of defiance, said Gill.
“Her classroom isn’t just a place where learning happens, but it’s a place where her students feel loved,” said Amy Saucedo, a longtime colleague of Gill, while speaking at the assembly. “I know it sounds simple, but she knows her students, what’s going on in their lives and she celebrates their wins and supports them through their struggles. She’s always pushing them to their full potential.”
For Gill, more than anything, she has enjoyed seeing her student’s growth over the years and wants to continue making a positive impact on their lives.
“I love watching my students grow as individuals and celebrating their successes,” said Gill. “It’s more like a family than a school.”
Alexandra Murphy is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.