Teacher of the Year Nominee Shares Personal Inspiration with Students
Sara Magnafichi, a first grade teacher at Admiral Byrd Elementary for the last 14 years, has a simple goal: she wants her students to know she really cares about them. From her own experiences of attending CCSD59 and feeling inspired by her teachers, Sara has a lifelong passion for education, and is very grateful she has had the opportunity to teach in her own community.
“One of the best parts of teaching first grade is I get to see the students grow up here at school throughout the years and check in on them,” she said. “I get to follow them all through fifth grade and that’s so much fun.”
Sara was nominated by her peers for the Illinois State Board of Education’s (ISBE) Those Who Excel Program, and ISBE has taken notice of Sara’s passion as an educator. She not only received the highest level of recognition, the Award of Excellence, but is also one of ten finalists for the Illinois Teacher of the Year. This is an incredible honor, and it will be the first time in CCSD59’s history that a teacher is a Top Ten Finalist. The Illinois Teacher of the year will be announced at ISBE’s Those Who Excel Awards Banquet on October 20, 2018.
No matter what the outcome, Sara is thrilled for the nomination, saying the “tears just flowed” when she heard the news.
“It such a blessing,” she said, “and I feel so privileged to even be considered.”
Click here and scroll to read ISBE’s excerpt on Sara and her nomination.