Symetra, Chicago Bears Honor Lyon Elementary School Teacher

Symetra, Gallagher Benefit Services and the Chicago Bears honored Heather Iles as a “Symetra Hero in the Classroom” on Nov. 29 during a surprise classroom presentation. Iles is the Structured Academic Integrated Learning (SAIL) program teacher at Lyon Elementary School, part of Glenview School District 34.

“Our son has been blessed with many amazing teachers, but no one has had a bigger impact on his life than Heather Iles. ‘Ms. Heather’ was his SAIL classroom teacher at Lyon from kindergarten through 2nd grade. She consistently represented a safe place for him — knowing how and when to push him out of his comfort zone and when to let him rest in his space. She’s cool, fun, kind, caring, silly, serious, and pretty much every other quality you’d want in a special needs teacher,” said Cori Mohr. “‘Ms. Heather’ has a gift for seeing a child for who they are deep inside, even if they struggle to find a way to show their true potential.” Mohr nominated Iles for the Symetra Heroes in the Classroom® award.

A national provider of employee benefits, annuities and life insurance, Symetra established the Symetra Hero in the Classroom® teacher-recognition program in its Pacific Northwest hometown in 2006. Partnering with the Chicago Bears, the company has proudly honored more than 100 Chicago-area teachers since 2010.

Teachers may be nominated by their principal, district staff, student or student’s parent. The winners are selected based on their ability to make a real difference in students' lives; to go above and beyond in their day-to-day responsibilities; and to help students build life skills.

“Heather Iles has helped our son blossom into a confident, outgoing, school-loving boy who will continue to thrive on the building blocks she spent three hard-fought years helping him build,” said Mohr. “The impact Ms. Iles has had on our son — and our family — is only partly about education; it’s much more about empowering us to push past the plateaus and finding ways to grow and thrive. With her encouragement and support, we have been able to advocate for and access things we never thought possible for our son, both in and out of the classroom.”

Iles is one of 16 K–12 teachers in the Chicago area who will be honored for educational excellence in the Symetra Heroes in the Classroom® program during the 2017 NFL season. Teachers are recognized in front of their students and peers at surprise in-school presentations, and they receive a $2,000 donation for classroom books and supplies. In addition, they receive tickets to a Bears home game and are acknowledged during an on-field presentation at Soldier Field. Iles will be recognized at the Dec. 3 game when the Bears take on the San Francisco 49ers.

More information about Symetra Heroes in the Classroom is available at www.SymetraHeroes.com/Bears.