By Chris Bavender
Jennifer Ellery, a history teacher at Carmel High School, was named a U.S. Presidential Scholar Most Influential Teacher. She is one of only 4,700 recipients in the last 34 years to receive the designation.
Ellery was nominated by U.S. Presidential Scholar Michael Wang, a 2017 CHS graduate, who listed her in his application as the teacher who influenced him the most.
“It is always an honor for someone to be recognized in his or her field, and that’s how I feel about this award,” Ellery said. “It is humbling to consider that I am listed among the other recipients who, in the eyes of the Presidential Scholar that nominated them, are clearly excellent educators and have made a positive impact on students academically and personally.”
Ellery said the key to being a successful teacher is to always try and outwork herself but “always do the job with joy.”
“I literally love my job. It’s different every day. It’s packed full of organized chaos and energy,” she said. “I get to study and talk about history every single day. I get to meet new people and develop new relationships with colleagues and students every year, and I get to help kids push themselves.”
She said she’s succeeded as a teacher when students leave her classroom better academically and personally than they were before.
“Whether it’s that they feel like they truly mastered content, essay writing, test preparation or whether they learned how to push themselves further than they ever believed they could be pushed, or whether, often most importantly, they found their voice and a confident vision for who and what they want to become,” she said. “Those are all teaching successes. There are a million ways to see success stories if you’re a teacher. Sometimes, they’re obvious, and sometimes you have to search for them, but they’re always there.”
