Freeport special education teacher wins prestigious award
A Freeport special education teacher has won a prestigious award for his work with students inside the classroom.
Eugene Calingacion, a special education teacher at Jones-Farrar International Baccalaureate World School in the Freeport School District, has been named the 2023 Northwest Regional Teacher of the Year by the Illinois State Board of Education.
Calingacion, who teaches first through third grade students, was one of nearly 500 educators to be nominated for the award.
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The school district said Calingacion won the award because he is a passionate advocate for his students.
Calingacion, who grew up in the Philippines, said he wouldn't be where he is today if not for the teachers he had while growing up.
“I am proof that caring teachers and public education change lives,” he said. “I want to inspire and become instrumental in the life-changing process of my students.”
For his highest-need students, Calingacion supplements individualized education program meetings with monthly resolution collaborations to help general education teachers feel supported.
“It takes a village to educate a child,” Calingacion said, “and MRC is just making this adage a reality.”
The Illinois State Board of Education's annual "Those Who Excel" and "Teacher of the Year" awards are meant to celebrate teachers, administrators, teams, volunteers and school support personnel making impacts on students and within their communities.
A committee of teachers, student-support personnel, educational service personnel and previous award winners selected this year's winners.
Calingacion now has a chance to win the Illinois Teacher of the Year award.
The Illinois Teacher of the Year will represent Illinois in the Council of Chief State School Officers’ National Teacher of the Year Program.
This article originally appeared on Journal Standard: Freeport special education teacher wins prestigious award
