Full Text of HR0147 101st General Assembly
HR0147 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 | | Representatives wish to congratulate Susan Converse on being | 4 | | named the 2019 Illinois Teacher of the Year by the Illinois | 5 | | State Board of Education; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, Susan Converse began her career as a journalist; a | 7 | | chance assignment to fill in for the education reporter changed | 8 | | her trajectory; after spending an afternoon talking with | 9 | | excited students, she decided to change careers, and she began | 10 | | teaching in 1995; she has taught students with emotional | 11 | | disabilities, learning disabilities, intellectual | 12 | | disabilities, and autism at the elementary, middle, and high | 13 | | school levels; she served as an administrator for nine years | 14 | | before returning to the classroom in 2013; currently, she | 15 | | teaches special education for students in grades nine through | 16 | | 12 at Edwardsville High School in Edwardsville Community Unit | 17 | | School District 7; she assists her students with their needs as | 18 | | they prepare to exit the school system; and
| 19 | | WHEREAS, In 2016, Susan Converse opened the Tiger Den, a | 20 | | student-run coffee and pastry shop at Edwardsville High School; | 21 | | under her guidance, students with disabilities carry out all | 22 | | aspects of the Tiger Den's operations; her students develop | 23 | | skills they later use to lead more independent lives after high |
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| 1 | | school; the coffee shop has served as a stepping stone to | 2 | | competitive employment for her students, and many are now | 3 | | employed in the community; and
| 4 | | WHEREAS, The Tiger Den also gives back to the community by | 5 | | donating money to local charitable organizations; over the past | 6 | | two years, the Tiger Den Coffee Shop has donated more than | 7 | | $10,000 to local families in need and has supported community | 8 | | initiatives that promote the inclusion of individuals with | 9 | | disabilities; she hopes to expand this vocational initiative by | 10 | | opening a similar establishment in the community in the near | 11 | | future; and
| 12 | | WHEREAS, Susan Converse describes her philosophy of | 13 | | teaching as "giving each student the individual structure and | 14 | | approach they need to grow, while maintaining an equally high | 15 | | level of expectations for all"; she believes that a teacher's | 16 | | role is to prepare students to become positive and responsible | 17 | | members of the community; her students know that she believes | 18 | | in them; and
| 19 | | WHEREAS, Susan Converse received her Bachelor of Science in | 20 | | Journalism and her Master of Science in Educational Leadership | 21 | | from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville; she is a | 22 | | certified reading specialist and holds an additional | 23 | | certification in administration; therefore, be it
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| 1 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 2 | | HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 3 | | we congratulate Susan Converse on being named the 2019 Illinois | 4 | | Teacher of the Year, and we commend her dedication to her | 5 | | students; and be it further
| 6 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 7 | | presented to Susan Converse as an expression of our esteem and | 8 | | respect.
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