Siler City, NC — Wendi Pillars, English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher from Jordan-Matthews High School, has been named the Chatham County Schools Teacher of the Year. Pillars is an accomplished leader, published writer, fierce advocate, innovative teacher, and amazing artist. Known throughout the district for her extraordinary meeting notes, Pillars recently published Visual Notetaking for Educators and regularly publishes academic articles on neuroscience, Common Core, and ELL best practices.
In Pillars’ own words, “Empowering students linguistically and intellectually, while lending credence to their experiences and the knowledge they bring, are my ideal goals. I can be a big picture visionary, but at heart, I am a workhorse with a penchant for action. I understand firsthand that the more my students create and generate knowledge rather than merely consume it, the greater their learning, confidence, and growth. In other words, their ownership.”
Students and faculty from Jordan-Matthews were delighted to share in the presentation of flowers and good news from Dr. Derrick D. Jordan, Superintendent of Schools. According to Dr. Jordan, “Ms. Pillars is an exceptional educator who strives to personalize learning for all of her students. Her commitment to the students of Chatham County Schools is to be commended. We know that she will represent our district phenomenally as she moves to the next level of regional competition for North Carolina’s Teacher of the Year.”