February 2, 2023

Amber Jirsa Named 2023 North Suburbs Regional Teacher of the Year

Congratulations to Batavia High School English Teacher Amber Jirsa! She has been named North Suburbs Regional of the Year by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE)!

Amber Jirsa 2023 North Suburbs Regional Teacher of the Year

ISBE’s annual Those Who Excel & Teacher of the Year Awards celebrate incredible classroom teachers, administrators, teams, volunteers, and school support personnel who have impacted students, families, and fellow educators in their school communities. See full list of awardees from all seven professional categories.

We asked Amber a couple of questions about this recognition, and here are her answers:

Why do you believe you were nominated?
Our students have been very vocal in sharing their stories and concerns of not feeling like they belong in our schools. Hearing about the struggles of our students inspired me to do something. I have been focused on using my voice to promote change to help our students feel more of a sense of belonging at school. I have spoken publicly and led the initiative to focus on making sure all of our students feel like they belong. As an English teacher, I tell my students about the impact their own voices can have. This focus has given me the opportunity to lead by example and speak up on behalf of (and with) our students that are asking for change.
How did you feel when they announced your name?
I do not think I processed what was happening until halfway through the announcement! It was such an amazing honor to be able to hear the announcement personally from Illinois Superintendent Carmen Ayala just days before she retired. To have her personally thank me for continuing to fight for our students was just surreal. 
What does this honor mean to you?
It shows that I have strong support from co-workers, students, parents and the community. It also shows that they believe in my knowledge and passion enough to trust me to lead throughout this journey. It is empowering to know that the work that has been done for our students has been noticed because we have been working so hard.
How do you plan to celebrate?
I did not do this on my own. I want to celebrate by surrounding myself with those that have stood the course with me. I want to take the time to celebrate and soak it all in with them; I am receiving this award because of their confidence in me. There is no way I would have been able to receive an award like this without their trust and their passion to ensure our students feel that they belong here. There were times this work became overwhelming and frustrating but having a team of co-workers, students, parents and community members that believed in me allowed me to persevere.

BPS101 and its staff are proud to have Amber in the family. Thank you for your years of dedication to our District and all of your students.