Cheryl Scanlan

Cheryl Scanlan considers accepting a position as a school counselor at Jasper County, ‘coming home.’ As someone who grew up and raised her three children in the county, it’s simply good to be home. She spent most of her educational career in Effingham, but Cheryl says she’s thrilled to return to her roots. “I live here. Coming home and being able to do this makes it even more special.”

Cheryl transferred to Jasper County at the beginning of the 2023- 2024 school year, bringing twenty-seven years of experience with her. She logged eighteen years as a resource and classroom teacher before completing her master’s degree in school counseling from Eastern Illinois University. Since graduating, she has logged nine additional years as a school counselor.

“I always knew, even when I was teaching, that’s what I’d get my master’s degree in. It’s always been my goal to be on this side of it,” says Cheryl. She adds, “I’ve always just wanted to help kids. As a teacher, you sometimes don’t get as much time as you want. I get to focus my attention on helping kids who are struggling.”

Cheryl leans on her knowledge gained as a teacher, using the time she spent in the classroom to help her view situations from multiple perspectives. Her experience grants her empathy and provides a strong foundation she’s leaned on throughout her nine years as a counselor.

While Cheryl regularly works with large groups of students, teaching social skills lessons, her transition also allows her to spend more time working with students one-on-one. She spends most of her time providing individual and small-group counseling, helping countless students navigate through difficult issues on a regular basis. She also runs a mentorship program and the Cultivating Awareness and Resilience in Education (CARE) program for Newton’s sixth graders.

While some would transfer closer to home to eliminate an hour of commute time from their day, Cheryl shares that her decision was associated with the environment she wanted to be a part of. When she looked at Jasper County, she saw kind teachers who take the students’ best interests to heart and an administration that supports their teaching staff. Cheryl was and continues to be impressed by the teaching staff’s support.

“As far as the social aspect, we have programming—social lessons that the teachers teach. And I come in monthly and teach additional skills. This month, for example, is cooperation,” says Cheryl, who sees the power of an established system that allows students to learn and articulate social skills consistently.

Despite being eligible to retire in five years, Cheryl shares that she’s likely to remain at Jasper County far longer based on her love for her job and her belief that positive relationships can change the trajectory of a child’s life for the better. Cheryl explains her central goal, “I want to build those relationships.”

Cheryl adds that she’s still learning as she goes but that she hopes her students “Stay the course. I hope they never lose track of the fact that you can accomplish amazing things if you make the right choices and keep your head down.”