A Collinsville teacher didn’t want to be an educator. Now, she’s teacher of the year

Collinsville 10 music teacher Jennifer Bhooshan is the 2021 Illinois Teacher of the Year for the Southwest Region, but she wasn’t always sure she wanted to go into education.

As a college student, Bhooshan reluctantly added education classes to her church music courses, at the behest of her professors. She graduated with both majors, completed her student teaching in Kankakee schools, and thought that was the end of her stint in education.

“I think it is divine that I am put here, because the summer after I graduated, I had a church that told me they would offer me a job,” Bhooshan said.

As the summer wore on, she didn’t hear back from the church, but was offered an interview back in Kankakee. She was offered the job and signed a contract the same day she interviewed.

On the drive home, the church finally called to offer Bhooshan that job.

“From day one, I thought this was where I was supposed to be,” she said.

Sixteen years and two school districts later, Bhooshan is being honored as one of the best teachers in the state.

The Illinois State Board of Education has eight designated regions, and regional teachers of the year, including Bhooshan, may conduct workshops and speak to education and civic organizations throughout the year.

Bhooshan teaches kindergarten through fourth grade music at Maryville and Webster Elementaries, but in her 14 years with the district, she’s taught at all eight of Collinsville’s elementary schools. While she doesn’t see the same students every day, Bhooshan said her job allows her to get to know students in a different way.

“I love getting to slowly build the relationships with them,” she said. “There’s something really unique about staying with students year to year.”

That sort of relationship has been especially helpful this year, as educators in Collinsville and across the country are teaching through computer screens or from behind masks because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“There’s been a lot of fear I’ve seen with the kids,” Bhooshan said. “We need community. I love my district for even pushing music, that we have music, especially again this year.”

With schools closed for much of the spring, many districts have had to prioritize making up lost reading and math skills during critical elementary years. Bhooshan said students still need class time devoted to non–core subjects like music so they can grow developmentally, socially and emotionally.

Kimberly Collins, public relations liaison for the district, said Bhooshan’s coworkers and supervisors were especially impressed with her ability to adapt to and connect with all types of kids, including students receiving special education services.

Before working with students in a life skills or autism classroom, Bhooshan said she goes through their individualized education plans, or IEP, to figure out which goals translate well to a music class, whether that’s developing the fine motor skills to hold an instrument, or finding music to encourage them to stand up and move around, if that’s a personal challenge.

While she loves her job, Bhooshan admitted that the pandemic has put a lot of strain on teachers. She’s still waiting for details from the state board about what the teacher of the year program will look like this year, but she wants to help other educators learn how to keep a positive perspective, for themselves and their students.

“It’s a really hard time for teachers right now,” Bhooshan said. “Having a positive perspective, looking for things that we do well, encouraging our staff members on the things they do well, makes such a difference.”

This story was originally published October 3, 2020 at 6:00 AM.