Lindsey Jensen

Lindsey L. Jensen is the 2018 Illinois Teacher of the Year and the 2020 National Education Association Foundation for Teaching Excellence Illinois Awardee. She is Vice-President of the Illinois State Teachers of the Year Chapter, and she serves on the Illinois State Board of Education State Preparation and Licensure Board as an Illinois Education Association Representative. Lindsey is a Teach Plus Policy Alum, and she is an Advisory Board Member for the Region 9 Comprehensive Center. She has over 15 years of educational experience, holds a bachelor’s degree in speech communication from Southern Illinois University, a master’s degree in secondary English education from Oakland City University, and she is finishing her doctorate in the fall of 2020 in teaching and learning from Illinois State University. In her free time, Lindsey travels the country speaking and engaging in educational advocacy. She has delivered over 100 keynotes at Northwestern University, SXSWEdu, The National Association of Teacher Educators Conference, The Raising Student Achievement Conference, and WITCon. She is a proud public school teacher and academic dean in Dwight, Illinois.

Posts By Lindsey Jensen

Teaching

First Day Jitters? Teachers Get Them Too!

As I embark on my 15th year in public education, I’m baffled that it still happens to me. After all, this is my 15th “first day”! I have my first-day handouts copied and I’ve spent the last two weeks...

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Teaching

I'm a Better Educator Than I Was 11 Years Ago, But I Still Feel Like an Imposter

While attending a local charity event, it happened. It’s the moment every teacher dreads. It’s the unexpected scenario that stops us in our tracks as embarrassment and anxiety ensues. While...

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Politics

Before Trump Jr. Calls Me a 'Loser Teacher,' How About He Steps Inside My Classroom?

It was in my junior English III class during third period when I observed two junior girls, on fundamentally opposite sides of the political aisle, engaging in a debate about America’s role in...

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School Funding

Poor Kids Deserve Kickass Schools with Kickass Teachers, Too

As the Illinois Teacher of the Year, I meet fellow educators at events all the time. We exchange funny anecdotes about education in our respective communities. We compare. We contrast. We laugh. We...

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