The Presidential Award is truly an honor. Since the first year I stepped into a classroom, I have worked to improve my teaching, wanting only the best for my students. Receiving this award is a testament that I have had great teachers, mentors, and colleagues who have modeled and encouraged great teaching. I am thankful to everyone who has played a role in my profession, and I hope that I can inspire other teachers to go the extra mile.
Jill Cheatham has been teaching for 17 years, the last 10 years at Westview Elementary School in Champaign Unit 4 School District where she has taught second grade and currently teaches first grade. She has also taught at Leland Community School in Leland, IL, Kansas Community Unit 3 in Kansas, IL, and Robert E. Lee Elementary in Long Beach, CA.
In addition to classroom teaching, Jill also serves as Building Math Leader, collaborates with colleagues to improve teacher instruction and review data, and organizes Family Math Nights. Jill has been copresenter for school improvement days, assisting teachers on a book study about lesson study.
Jill is a member of the Illinois Council of Teachers of Mathematics and has attended the National Conference for Supervisors of Mathematics.
Jill has a B.A. in elementary education from Eastern Illinois University. She has taken postgraduate courses in cultural education and gifted education from California State University Long Beach and Aurora University. She is currently working on a master's in educational leadership at Eastern Illinois University. She is certified in elementary education with endorsements in gifted education, biological science, and language arts.
- High-resolution version of the official portrait photograph
- Awardee holding Presidential citation between Associate Director for Science of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, Dr. Carl Wieman and Deputy Director of the National Science Foundation, Dr. Cora Marrett
- High-resolution version of the teacher profile photograph
