Introducing ISBE’s Bilingual Teacher of the Year: Take Five with Jessica Suarez Nieto

Take Five is a series that highlights members of the CPS community who are going above and beyond for our students. All throughout the 2024–25 school year, we will be spotlighting our amazing CPS teachers! If you know a teacher who is making a difference, nominate them to be featured here.

Meet Jessica Suarez Nieto, a middle school math teacher at Telpochcalli Dual Language School and the Illinois State Board of Education’s Bilingual Teacher of the Year! This award recognizes Illinois educators across the state who have made extraordinary contributions to their school communities.

As an educator, Ms. Jessica approaches teaching math from an interdisciplinary lens, connecting lessons to current events and helping her students apply critical thinking skills to their real lives. Having deep conversations with students, seeing children engage meaningfully with each other, and creating joyful memories in the classroom are Ms. Jessica’s favorite aspects of her work. 

“Ms. Jessica has been an invaluable asset to Telpochcalli Dual Language School, seamlessly combining her deep content knowledge with her passion for equity, social justice, and student empowerment,” said Principal Gabriela Núñez. “She fosters collaboration among her peers, and her unwavering respect for the voices of parents has strengthened our relationships with families and elevated their role in our shared mission.”

Learn more about Ms. Suarez Nieto below!

Can you tell us more about your journey to becoming an educator?

I have wanted to be a teacher ever since I was little, and I think this desire comes from my family’s working class background in Mexico. In Mexico, you don’t get schooling if you can’t afford to pay for it, so my mom always emphasized the importance of education to me. I specifically knew very early on that I wanted to teach bilingual students because of my own experiences learning English when I was younger.

I also became a mom when I was in high school, and some of the adults who were supposed to be supporting me started treating me like I was unteachable or I didn’t belong in honors programs. These experiences have shaped the educator I am today. I am committed to counteracting deficit thinking against students of color and female students. There is no such thing as “we cannot do math.” We can, and we will.

What was your reaction when you found out that you were named ISBE’s Bilingual Teacher of the Year?

I was shocked! It also prompted a lot of reflection on how hard our people have fought to have a rightful place in public education. Mexicans were not always allowed in school, and were often not allowed to speak Spanish when we were there. This is a great honor and a reminder of why we need to keep fighting for bilingual education. We matter and we deserve to be here.

You are a champion of dual language education. Can you tell us more about its importance?

Spanish is my connection to my mother, to my family, and to Mexico. Language and how we communicate connects us to who we are as people, so dual language education is about acknowledging our humanity as bilingual people. We also know that the dual language model works; students in this type of setting are flourishing. I want more students to have access to dual language settings that are welcoming, where they don’t have to choose one language or another, and where they are able to be truly biliterate or multi-literate in some cases.

What lessons do you want your students to take from you?

I want to help my students learn how to resist oppressive conditions, stand up for themselves, make better choices, and be active members in society. I always tell my students to question everything. I want my students to understand that they matter, and that they deserve to have a voice.

What do you like to do when you’re not teaching?

I do a lot of mothering—I have four children! I also love soccer and dancing. I specifically want to recommit to baile folklórico, which is a traditional Mexican dance, as a way of engaging with my cultural identity.