Jefferson Elementary School -

I have been teaching at Jefferson Elementary School since 2015. I love teaching English Language Arts in 4th grade! I am switch teachers with my best friend, Mrs. Niemerg. I grew up in Chicago, IL. I attended Eastern Illinois University and fell in love with Charleston, and decided to make it home. I'm a huge Chicago Cubs fan and love watching baseball games. After school, I love to read and hang out with my dog.

Hello, my name is Mrs. Ballinger. I am a fourth-grade teacher at Jefferson Elementary School. I've been a teacher since 2003 and have taught second, third and fourth grade. Some fun things about me are, that I love teaching about history and science. I enjoy reading and spending time with my family.

I am a fourth grade ELA teacher at Jefferson. I have always known I wanted to be a teacher, so after I graduated from CHS in 2018, I went to Lake Land College for two years and then finished my degree at EIU in 2022 in Elementary Education. I grew up in Charleston and went through all of our schools. I loved it so much that I decided to stick around and be a teacher in the same school I attended! I started teaching at Jefferson in 2022. I taught one year in sixth grade, and then made a switch to fourth grade and fell in love with this grade & the team! I teach reading, writing, and word study. My switch teacher, Katie Kousma, teaches math, science, and social studies. When I’m not in school, I enjoy spending time with my husband Luke, our puppy Tink, and our families that also live in town. I can't wait to make this another amazing year for your child! Feel free to reach out anytime!

I grew up in Charleston, graduating from CHS in 2004. I then attended EIU for elementary education where I graduated in 2008. I began my teaching career in Windsor where I got to teach kindergarten, 1st grade, 2nd grade, and 5th grade. I always wanted to come home to Charleston to teach and so in 2018 began teaching 4th grade at Jefferson. Fourth grade has been my favorite to teach and I'm so happy to be teaching in my home town! My very good friend Kyla Ballinger joined me at Jefferson for the 2021-2022 school year and we now co-teach together. I teach reading, writing and word study, while Mrs. Ballinger teaches math, science and social studies. We have SO much fun teaching together. We're excited to have another great year in 4th grade! When I'm not teaching, I love spending time with my family. I live here in Charleston with my husband Brian and our 3 children. We love to spend time at home, camp, and have movie nights together!

I live in Charleston with my husband and 3 kids on a grain and sheep farm. Prior to teaching, I was a dietitian and a stay-at-home mom, but after the pandemic, I decided that I wanted to pursue a job in education. I have taught 6th grade for 3 years, but I am looking forward to a switch to 4th grade this year. I have been a part of the CBE pilot program the past 2 years. I am looking forward to meeting my students and their families for this year! 

I teach 4th grade math, science and social studies at Jefferson Elementary.

I teach 4th grade math, science, and social studies. I have been teaching since 2002 and love it here in Charleston. My husband and I live in Teutopolis where we are raising our 5 children. I love spending time at the ballpark watching my kids play ball. I also love the Chicago Cubs and the Chicago Bears.

Miss Sawyer is from the Charleston area, having attended Charleston schools from fourth grade through high school! She graduated from Eastern Illinois University with a degree in Elementary Education. After that, she earned a master's degree in Curriculum and Instruction at Eastern Illinois University. She has taught fourth grade for six years and counting!

I have been teaching gifted and talented in the Charleston CUSD1 since 2014. I have the privilege of working with students across multiple grade levels in all of the different buildings in the district.
I grew up in Findlay, Ohio, where I met my husband in my high school debate class. We are both graduates of Purdue University and have 3 adult children.
During my husband's 11 years of active duty in the US Navy, we lived in Nashville, TN, Portsmouth, VA, Jacksonville, NC, Orlando, FL, Chesapeake, VA, and Jacksonville, FL, before settling in Charleston in 2004.
After moving to Charleston, I completed a second bachelor degree at Eastern Illinois University in Elementary Education and simultaneously worked on a library media specialist endorsement through the graduate program at Indiana State University. I love learning!
All 3 of our children are graduates of Charleston High School. Our oldest daughter and her husband live in Durham, NC, where she is a nurse. Our other daughter and her husband live in Savannah, GA, and she is a marketing analyst. Our youngest son lives in Chicago and is a tax accountant.
We love to travel and have spent the past two summers enjoying destination weddings with our daughters in Greece and Yosemite.
In my free time, I sing and compete with a barbershop chorus and a quartet. I am also rarely seen anywhere without a book in hand.
My favorite teaching experiences are working with robotics with students to prepare for the talent show at the end of the year, having guest speakers come to our classroom to teach us 3D printing and computer coding, working with Judge Bower to prepare a mock trial that we present at the court house, having guest instructors for language arts and math problem solving, having EIU student guests come and teach us Social Sciences subjects, and learning so many new things from my students as they research and present projects for our annual GATE Showcase.

I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago. Upon graduating high school, I came to Charleston, Illinois to attend Eastern Illinois University for my Bachelors in Special Education and Art Education. I have also received my Masters in Special Education from EIU. I started in the Charleston School District in January of 2019 as a Special Education teacher and have been here ever since. I live in Charleston with my husband, son and dog. I enjoy soccer and bowling. I am also a huge coffee and dog lover.

My name is Becky Hayes and I have had the privilege of being part of the Jefferson Elementary community since the 2017-2018 school year, after spending 15 years at alternative schools. Jefferson Elementary has given me the opportunity to expand my skills and grow right along with the students. I have 2 adult children and 2 grandchildren. I love helping and watching my students learn and grow into young adults. Thank you for sharing your child with me.

Hello! My name is Michelle King, and this is my 2nd year as a LBS 1 teacher at Jefferson Elementary. I have received my bachelor's degree and master's from EIU. This year will be my 12th year teaching special education and my 2nd year in the Charleston school district. I am looking forward to this new school year adventure and to continue to be able to work with some amazing staff and students.

Hello! Mrs. Shambo has been teaching Special Education at Jefferson Elementary School since 2016! She was born in Shelbyville IL, lived in Ashmore IL and has lived in Charleston since 2nd grade. Mrs. Shambo earned her bachelor's degree in early childhood and Standard Special Education in 2015. Mrs. Shambo lives in Charleston with her husband, and they have 2 children, Brayden- 26 and Madison-21. She enjoys spending time with friends, gardening, traveling and coffee! Feel free to contact Mrs. Shambo anytime!