May's WWEA Educator Spotlight

The Wheaton Warrenville Education Association (WWEA) would like to introduce Ms. Kammer Hufnagle, an 18 year educator with 10 years at Wheaton North High School. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in History with a minor in Political Science and Peace Studies from Illinois State University. Her Masters degree specialized in Special Education and Behavior Disorders from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln and her Administrative Endorsement was earned from Aurora University. Ms. Hufnagle is currently a Special Education teacher with a full daily schedule that includes:

• Collaborating and co-teaching 3 math classes.
• Teaching 1 direct geometry class.
• Teaching 1 academic skills class.
• Monitoring and providing support for 17 students on her caseload.
• Providing accommodations for students with IEP (Individualized Education Plan) and 504 plans in the classroom and on state testing.

Ms. Hufnagle chose education as her profession after experiencing several careers in the private sector that made her realize that you have to love what you do everyday. Both of her parents were speech language pathologists, and therefore she spent most of her life around education and students with disabilities. Education was a clear choice for Ms. Hufnagle and she believes that being a teacher means everything to her. She models her love for her job, ability to help others, and motivation to work hard for intrinsic rewards for her two sons. Ms. Hufnagle stated, “I’m proud to be able to say that I am a teacher in the school district in which I live and choose to send my own children to school.” She believes that her greatest accomplishment as an educator is not about her achievements, but rather the accomplishments of her students. The feeling of great accomplishment occurs every time one of her students with a disability gets into college, earns a job, walks across the stage at the end of 4 years and finds their own success. She believes that everyday she is lucky to collaborate with great colleagues who work hard simply for the sake of the students they teach. She stated, “People should be confident that the large majority of educators remaining in this profession really do love their job for all of the right reasons.”

Ms. Hufnagle is very proud of her work with Special Olympics. She volunteered to start a Special Olympic bowling team in 2010. Since she started the team, it has grown to over 20 bowlers. Over the past several years, many bowlers have qualified for the regional tournament in Rockford, IL. This team has transitioned into a fundraising opportunity for the CUSD 200 Special Olympics program. This is a self-funded program, so their fundraising is vital to the program’s success. With help from partners like Fox Bowl, they’ve managed to raise $10,000 over the previous 3 years for all Special Olympic programs. This year’s bowling fundraiser will take place on Saturday, May 9 at Fox Bowl from 3:00 - 4:00pm in Wheaton. This event will have fun for all, so bring your entire family for a fun day of bowling!

Thank you, Ms. Kammer Hufnagle, for your desire to help students achieve their best every day and your initiative with District 200’s Special Olympics program.