Three teachers in District 709 received national board certification recently.

“It’s a rigorous process the teacher needs to go through to test their knowledge and their portfolio,” District 709 superintendent Roger Kilpatrick said.

The recognition is given by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. Teachers must complete a study, an expert evaluation, self-assessment and a peer review. There are 25 certificates available that cover a variety of subject areas.

The following teachers received national board certification.

Scott Lynn teaches science at Morton High School. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois in 1980 and was awarded a master’s degree from St. Xavier University in 2002. He first taught in Girard starting in 1980, before coming to Morton in 1987.

“The most rewarding thing about teaching is working with excellent students like the ones in my advanced biology class for seniors and honors biology for freshman,” Lynn said.

Shelley Reichert teaches language arts at Morton Junior High. She received her undergraduate degree from Bradley University. She also had a master’s degree in education administration from Illinois State University. Reichert started her career as a program coordinator for the Lowpoint-Washburn school district. She developed curriculum and activities for an after-school program. She then taught junior high language arts for six years at Elmwood Junior High. This is her first year teaching eighth-grade language arts at MJHS.

“It is considered one of the highest symbols of professional teaching excellence, and I am proud and honored to have received this recognition,” Reichert said. She also said she enjoys teaching language arts at the junior high level because “every hour brings new faces and new personalities that I have the privilege to interact with and to share my love of language arts with.”

Heather Hochstettler teaches first grade at Jefferson School. She received an associate’s degree in child development from Illinois Central College, a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Eureka College and a master’s degree from Olivet Nazarene University.

This is Hochstettler’s 16th year at Jefferson School, and she currently teaches first grade. She has also taught kindergarten and second grade.

“This process made me look, in a whole new light, at what I teach, how I teach and why I became a teacher in the first place,” Hochstettler said.

She said it is always exciting to see children learn and grow.

“The thing I enjoy most about my job as a teacher is working with the children and their parents. There is no better feeling than when a child finally realizes they can read for the first time. It is so rewarding to see your students go from the simple task of naming a letter and its sound to reading a book or writing a paragraph by the end of the year,” she said.

District 709 has one other teacher who has received this distinction. Tami Cooper, a science teacher at MJHS, is also a national board certified teacher.

Bobbie Jennings, a District 709 school psychologist, has received national board certification in her field.

For more information about national board certification, go to www.nbpts.org.