For Jessica Schackmann, the path back home has been a long one — measured not in miles, but in moments that led her here. After seventeen years in classrooms elsewhere, she’s finally teaching where she lives, and that makes all the difference.

Inside her sixth-grade social studies classroom at Newton Elementary School, maps cover one wall, a cheer megaphone leans against her desk, and a stack of handmade projects waits to be graded. “It’s a little chaotic sometimes,” she laughs. “But it’s the good kind of chaos — the kind that means kids are curious and engaged.”

Jessica began her journey in Altamont, playing volleyball for Shawnee Community College before finishing her degree at McKendree and later earning a master’s in Educational Leadership from Eastern Illinois University in 2021. She spent fourteen years teaching at Teutopolis, another close-knit district she loved, before deciding it was time to plant her professional roots closer to home.

“I live here, my kids go to school here, and my heart’s here,” she says. “It just finally felt like the right time to make the move.”

Now in her first year with Jasper County Schools, Jessica teaches social studies and coaches junior-high cheerleading — a combination that keeps her on her toes but also gives her a full picture of student life. “I see them in the classroom, and then I see them on the sidelines,” she says. “It helps me understand who they are as people, not just students.”

Her approach to teaching blends the classic with the contemporary. “Technology is part of everything now, but I still want them creating, touching, discussing,” she explains. “History is about stories, and you can’t always feel the story if you’re just staring at a screen.” She pauses. “The key is balance — let them use the tools of their world, but remind them how to be human in it.”

That idea — of staying human, staying grounded — echoes through everything she does. Whether she’s teaching about the Constitution or building a cheer routine, Jessica believes kids learn best when they feel seen and valued. “If they trust you, they’ll take risks. And that’s what learning is — taking little risks until something clicks.”

Her two children, a third-grader and a fifth-grader, also attend Jasper County Schools, which means her day rarely ends when the final bell rings. “I joke that I’ve become the carpool mom and the cheer coach,” she says, smiling. “We’re all in it together — school, sports, community.” Friday evenings often mean a stop at Homewood Grill for a sweet treat before heading home. “That’s just Newton,” she says fondly. “People support each other here — they show up.”

That sense of belonging was what she’d missed most while commuting to work in another district. “It’s different when you see your students at the grocery store, at church, or at a ballgame,” she says. “You realize quickly how connected everything is.”

Asked what she’d tell her younger self, she pauses for a moment. “I’d say — be patient,” she answers. “Life has its ups and downs, but you’ll land where you’re supposed to be. Even on hard days, you’ll find joy in what you do.”

As she straightens a row of desks and glances at the bulletin board filled with colorful student projects, her voice softens. “I’ve always told my students that history is made by ordinary people who choose to do something good. That’s true in teaching too. You show up, you care, and you keep trying to do something good.”

For Jessica Schackmann, the commute is finally short, the purpose unchanged, and the gratitude deep.

“I’m home,” she says simply. “And it feels exactly right.”