State Rep. 'Saved My Teaching Dream' With Budget Vote: Letter

The following letter was submitted by Erique Johnson, a Chicago Heights resident and sophomore at Western Illinois University:

I am currently a Sophomore at Western Illinois University majoring in education. My dream is to become one of those teachers who make a lasting difference in the lives of their students. I believe my best opportunity to achieve that dream is to teach in classrooms where the need is greatest — classrooms with large numbers of students who struggle to acquire basic skills.

I am writing to publicly thank our State Representative Anthony DeLuca for his courageous vote for a state budget earlier this summer. Rep. DeLuca's decision literally saved my teaching dream by preventing the closing of the Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois Program. Without Rep. Anthony DeLuca’s support, the program would not be operating now.

The Scholars Program was founded 28 years ago and funds most of its operations through State of Illinois grants. The Program’s sole mission is to identify and prepare students who have qualities and commitment which will allow them to be successful teachers in challenging schools. About 700 Golden Apple Scholar alums are teaching in Illinois, most of them in schools of need.

I am proud that I am now one of Golden Apple Scholars currently in college. We Scholars must make a five-year commitment to teach in Illinois’ lowest achieving schools. In return, we receive $2500 in tuition assistance our freshman and sophomore years and $5000 in our junior and senior years and a small summer stipend.

The most important part of the Golden Apple program, though, is the 4-week Institutes the Foundation holds each summer on college and university campuses all over the state. We receive over 500 hours of extra preparation from master instructors focused on the challenges we will meet in these high need schools. All four Summer Institutes also include a lot of time in the classroom. We know from own experience and from statewide surveys of principals that Golden Apple Scholars are among the most committed and capable teachers in Illinois.

Thank you, Rep. Anthony DeLuca! We will not let you down.