Illinois social studies teacher Samantha Stearns named a finalist for the Illinois State Teacher of the Year Award.  Photo credit: Wednesday Journal

I always enjoy sharing stories about excellent educators who have earned accolades for their work in the classroom. Today, the spotlight falls on Samantha Stearns, a social studies teacher from Illinois. She is the recipient of the 2023 Cook County Co-Regional Teacher of the Year and one of 13 finalists for the Illinois State Teacher of the Year Award.

Currently, Samantha teaches social studies and serves as the Department Chair at Roosevelt Middle School in River Forest, Illinois. Samantha also advises her school’s Mock Trial team and the History by Hollywood Club, a group where students are encouraged to consider how film can have an impact on historical narratives. She has worked at Roosevelt for 11 years. Previously, she taught for two years in Plainfield, Illinois.

In addition to her work in the classroom, Samantha is a member of the Illinois State Board of Education and University of Illinois’s I3, Inclusive, Inquiry-Based Social Studies program. The types of projects her eighth-graders work on reflect the goals of this program. “My students really enjoyed our election unit,” Samantha reveals. “We focused on building background knowledge on voter suppression and how limited access to the ballot has been a challenge in the US historically,” she explains. “To then see how people like Stacey Abrams worked to increase voter turnout in Georgia was the perfect culmination of our study and really let students connect the past to the present,” she says. “I think it let students see that past historical injustices still impact Americans today, but also how we can work to correct our course,” she concludes.

Samantha’s selection as a Regional Teacher of the Year is not the only recognition the stellar teacher has earned. In 2022, she represented Illinois in the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History National History Teacher of the Year program. In addition, she has been a guest writer for the American Historical Association’s Perspectives on History. In this capacity, she serves as an advocate for improved social studies education and increased collaboration between K-16 social studies educators.

Samantha earned her Bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education and History in 2010 from University of St. Francis in Joliet, Illinois. She earned her Master’s degree in History in 2019 from Indiana State University in Terre Haute, Indiana.

To learn more about Samantha Stearns, click on this link to an article published by Wednesday Journal.