LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Teresa Steinhagen

Position: Third Grade Teacher and PBIS Coach
School: Indian Hill Elementary School
School District: Round Lake School District 116
City, State: Round Lake , IL

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Teresa Steinhagen was nominated by her assistant principal, Beth Hornberg.

Ms. Steinhagen is a third grade teacher at Indian Hill Elementary School who has also served as the PBIS coach for the past three school years. In that short amount of time, she has helped lead the staff and students from Silver, to Gold, to Platinum level status for the Midwest PBIS Division. She has collaborated with parents, staff, and administration to implement Class Dojo and improve student behavior throughout the school. She has had a one-to-one classroom for the past two school years, continuing to develop her and her students' skills.

Ms. Steinhagen's class is a co-taught class, where collaboration and students' best interests are the number one priority. This allows for student success and ownership of their learning. Ms. Steinhagen communicates with parents, colleagues, and administration on a daily basis, allowing for reflection and growth for all. The students in her class are comprised of Special Education, English Language Learners, and many ability levels.

Ms. Steinhagen makes the classroom warm and inviting for all, and she has the ability to differentiate a lesson from day-to-day and minute-to-minute. She is a reflector and always takes others' ideas into consideration. Her classroom is full of love, with a focus on academics and social emotional needs.

"Teresa Steinhagen has truly been instrumental in all levels of PBIS and within her grade level for student achievement," said Hornberg. "I could not say enough about how blessed and lucky we are to have her at Indian Hill Elementary School. Teresa Steinhagen demonstrates passion, compassion, dedication, positivity, organization, commitment, and high levels of moral and ethical standards. She is our LifeChanger!"

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Comments (12)

Jenny Lichter Posted over a year ago

Teresa has had such a positive impact not only on her co-workers, but the entire school body! Parents included. Her dedication and hard work have not gone unnoticed. I enjoy being in her building and experiencing the excitement around positive behavior. She and her PBIS team come up with innovative ways to keep the students and staff motivated through the use of Class Dojo and PBIS. The students thrive in a positive environment. Keep it up, Teresa!

Faby Anderson Posted over a year ago

I had the honor to have this amazing teacher teach my son Jonathan 3rd grade two years ago at Indian Hill she is awesome execellent parent communication skills, sweet always ready to help out hopefully my other son Jay has her next school year for 3rd grade as well. Salute to all the wonderful staff at Indian Hill.

Kelly Techter Posted over a year ago

Teresa has incredible dedication to the students in our school. I have worked with her for over seven years and four of those we were on the same third grade team. I witnessed first-hand the passion that she has for seeing the students in her class reach their goals. Her mind is always buzzing with fresh ideas to tweak her teaching craft and challenge herself to become a better educator. She invests countless hours into each of her students so that their lives are positively impacted by being in her classroom. I am also on the PBIS committee with her and see how she puts an extra effort towards improving the entire school environment, not just her classroom. She is innovative, flexible, creative, supportive, and I am proud to call her both colleague and friend.

Melissa Posted over a year ago

She was my son’s 3rd grade teacher last year. She was the best and still is. Ms. Steinhagen deserves this!

Dave Marshall Posted over a year ago

I've work with Teresa for four years and she has been an inspiration. She is so outgoing, so willing to help, lend a hand, and guide young teachers like myself toward attaining those best practices that she has honed and performs with ease each day. Teresa is a life changer beyond the classroom, she is a absolute force for good in the field of education as a whole.

Kris Delisi Posted over a year ago

Teresa and I have worked in the same building for 7 years, and although we have never been on the same team, we have a friendship that extends beyond our work place because she is very approachable, supports all of our staff with PBIS issues, and does it all with a smile on her face and a "Can Do" sense of positivity. She is truly an asset to our students, staff, and community!

Rebecca Knuteson Posted over a year ago

Your positive energy is contagious. What a brilliant idea to promote positive at a younger age level. Positive breeds positive and you are in the right setting to spread that on and will make the future world a much better place. So awesome to dedicate your self to bettering the lives of others! Way to go,keep spreading the positive vibes!!! Hope your team winns!

Jamie Koburi Posted over a year ago

I have worked with Teresa for 6 years. She is a fantastic teacher, colleague, and overall human being. She goes above and beyond for our students. Teresa is very involved and always willing to help others. I'm proud to work with her.

Rhonda Heatherly Posted over a year ago

Teresa is definitely a LifeChanger for students, staff, and parents!!

Jenny Greathouse Posted over a year ago

Teresa is great!

Rachel Miller Posted over a year ago

I've worked with Teresa on the same 3rd grade teaching team for the past three years. As a new teacher, she has been unbelievable in supporting me in how to implement the ideals of the PBIS positive behavioral system. She provided with guidance and resources on how to connect with all students and have them think meaningfully about both their positive and unexpected behavior. Also, she is amazing at collaborating with me on how to incorporate positive social-emotional skills practice into our rigorous math and literacy curriculum. Finally, I have worked directly with Teresa on how to support students who need extra intervention in order to meet the expectations of positive behavior in our school. My classroom management is better because of her! Thank you Teresa!!!

Rebecca Steinhagen Posted over a year ago

What can I say that hasn't already been said except, DITTO! Teresa is very dedicated to her students and cares very deeply about the quality of education they receive. She is a team player and her contributions have made her a real Life Changer! She truly is an inspiration and we are very proud of her.