Although Mrs. Brittany Czerchlanski is new to Glenbard South, she brings with her years of experience and an unending passion for her students. 

Her first year at Glenbard South but a 10 year educator, Czerchlanski has reveled in the newness of it all. “There’s definitely changes as I was acclimating but they’re all positive changes,” said Czerchlanski. Working with new students and teaching new courses have been some of the “positive changes” she experienced this year. 

Czerchlaski taught AP English and freshman Honors English at her old school and currently teaches freshman Honors English, co-teaches sophomore English and English 3 here at South. 

Being able to connect with students and make a positive impact was what drew Czerchlanski to her profession. “Whether it’s supporting students who might be struggling, helping students build more confidence in themselves, helping them discover their voice or even just being here as a supportive mentor for students,” Czerchlanski reflected. 

Seeing the passion that students bring to her class is one of her favorite parts of the job. Czerchlanski loves when classroom discussions “get really lively and diverse with lots of perspectives,” and enjoys being able to teach her students to have academic discussions while keeping them engaged. She wants them to not only share their perspectives but “hear each other’s voices” and “just build up that positive learning community with each other.” 

Before becoming an educator, Czerchlanski lived in Taiwan up until she was five and moved to Illinois, where she has lived ever since.  After attending Metea Valley High School, Czerchlanski then earned her bachelor’s degree at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and completed her master’s program at Concordia University.

When not at school, Czerchlanski’s two kids, a four and a two and a half year old, keep her busy. “They’re the light of my life,” said Czerchlanski. “When I’m not here, I’m a mom.” 

Similar to her wish to see and explore her students’ passion, Czerchlanski recommends to those who wish to pursue education that one should “never lose sight of your passion for why you wanted to become an educator in the first place. There’s always a fire in us that makes us want to rise to the challenge of becoming an educator.” 

Czerchlanski’s first year here has been a wondrous start to her time at Glenbard South, a continuation of her clear dedication and passion to education. Summing up her experience this year, Czerchlanski gushed, “The students have been really great to work with, the staff has been wonderful and very supportive. I definitely feel comfortable here and I definitely feel like I’ve had a great first year.”