Bill Text: IL HR0147 | 2019-2020 | 101st General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Congratulates Susan Converse on being named the 2019 Illinois Teacher of the Year by the Illinois State Board of Education.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2019-02-26 - Resolution Adopted [HR0147 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2019-HR0147-Introduced.html
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| 1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| 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
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| 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
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| 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
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| 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
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| 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
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| 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
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| 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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