Unit 40 Teacher Becky Wilson Called By Governor

Governor Pritzker speaking via phone with Unit 40 Teacher Becky Wilson

Governor JB Pritzker recently called Unit 40 teacher Becky Wilson to personally congratulate her and all Illinois 8th Grade math teachers and students, but especially those at Effingham Junior High School.  Pritzker said "(they) did an amazing job, outperforming the rest of the country on math and science scores, and I just wanted to thank you for the hard work you put in, and they put in, to succeed for the State of Illinois". 

Wilson, a math teacher, was in her class during the call, and explained that she likes to incorporate singing, dancing, and mimes, among other techniques, to "do stuff that'll get stuck in their head".  Both teacher and students gave an example with a short song to Governor Pritzker about solving equations.

The Governor stated that his family can relate to the benefits of learning math in a way so that it's easy to remember and becomes second nature.

Pritzker said he's thrilled with their success and said he respects all the teachers at EJHS and thinks highly of them before congratulatng the entire 8th Grade Class.

After the 3-minute phone call, Wilson said that this was the last thing she expected, while the classroom was excited to be in the conversation with the Governor.

According to The Nation's Report Card, Illinois 8th Graders are ahead of the curve in math and reading scores.

The Effingham Unit 40 Schools Facebook page has video of the entire call.