PCSD Communications Specialist Spencer Tuinei nominated Jill for the Provo Way Award after spending time in an Adult Education ELA class she was teaching.
The students in the room included parents of Provo students and Provo residents coming to class after work, yet the room was bubbling with energy. Students were engaged, talking with one another, practicing language skills, and eager to participate.
A later visit offered a second look at Jill's teaching. While filming her classroom in connection with another honor, Teacher of the Year, Tuinei wrote that she managed the room with “the precision of a Swiss Watch.” Students moved through observation, writing, and speaking tasks while Jill adjusted instruction so different learners could take part successfully.
The Provo Way Award celebrates the people whose work leaves something behind beyond the task itself. In Jill's case, that was clear in two very different classrooms: students learning during the school day and adults choosing, after long days of their own, to keep learning too.
