From Parent To Praise: Teacher’s Compassion Shines Bright At Belvidere School

When it comes to shaping little minds, Mrs. Leese of Seth Whitman Elementary stands out as a beacon of excellence and compassion—she’s a true superhero in the classroom, making a difference one student (and family) at a time.

97 ZOK Teacher of the Week

Congratulations Mrs. Leese from Seth Whitman Elementary School in Belvidere, Illinois

Chelsey McSweeney nominated Mrs. Leese, she writes,

Mrs. Leese is my son, Calum’s, first grade teacher at Seth Whitman Elementary School in Belvidere. Before I was blessed to become a stay at home mom, I spent 8 years teaching in an elementary classroom. As a former elementary teacher myself, I can confidently say that Mrs. Leese exemplifies EXCEPTIONAL qualities as a teacher. Mrs. Leese is not only kind, loving, helpful, patient, and caring, but she is also incredibly attentive to detail, organized, and does a remarkable job with parent communication.

Mrs. Leese has TRULY gone above and beyond in helping first grade be the best experience possible for Calum. Mrs. Leese has been very supportive and provides constant encouragement which has already helped Calum’s confidence grow tremendously. She has made my son feel safe, comfortable, special, and loved beyond measure which is the greatest gift a teacher could ever give her student.

As though she’s not busy enough planning and teaching each day, Mrs. Leese goes out of her way to find the time to communicate with parents multiple times on a weekly basis providing academic and classroom information along with personal updates on the status of each child’s progress both academically and emotionally.

Calum has been fortunate to have had wonderful teachers in his life thus far, but has quickly named Mrs. Leese as his favorite. Calum says, “Mrs. Leese is my favorite teacher because she’s really nice and makes learning lots of fun. Our classroom is SUPER cool too!”

Mrs. Leese deserves to be applauded and recognized for all that she does for her students! It brings tears of joy to my eyes when I think about just how this ONE person has such a beautiful domino effect on others. It all begins in her “super cool” classroom with her students which in parallel positively impacts their families, our community, and best yet- our world.
“It takes a big heart to teach little minds;” and it’s evident that Mrs. Leese has the biggest heart of them all!

As Teacher of the Week, Mrs. Leese was surprised by Dave Alan and Emily from the Steve Shannon Show with a cake from Nothing Bundt Cakes and money to spend at WM Day Spa Salon.

You can nominate your favorite teacher HERE. Click HERE to see past Teachers of the Week.