Visions141

Today, I get to sit down with Ottawa’s Jen Lawsha, someone who has made a life’s work in Special Education. She is deeply committed to our students, their families, and to her profession. She’s got a great sense of humor and is, frankly, kind of a big deal. The profundity and outright importance of the work educators do on a day-to-day basis is often misunderstood and is, I think, especially so in the realm of Special Education. Wi...

Today, I have the privilege of speaking with a professional educator who has been making those kinds of differences in the lives of students for more than 34-years. She has taught in widely ranging environments, she has served as a groundbreaking administrator, she has simultaneously served two under-resourced Western Illinois districts by filling both superintendencies at the same time, and now she very capably leads Ottawa’s Elem...

Join me in my conversation with Custodian Jerry Castelli, District 141 parent and alumnus, lover of nostalgic Ottawa eateries, mid-80’s guide to historical downtown, and a genuinely nice guy. There are few professional opportunities we have as adults that provide a deeper sense of fulfillment than working with kids. There is something inherently rewarding about knowing you made a difference in the life of a young person. Fred Roger...

We chat with Nate Pinter, Principal at Jefferson, and Alecia Ruiz, District Social Worker, about the addition of a very special student this year— Murphy, the Facility Therapy Dog! So often view education through a rather standard lens; perhaps the very lens we looked through during our own time at school. But the truth is, there is no absolute in the approach to the education of a child. Every child is unique and every generation ...