We’re excited to introduce one of our new 2024-2025 teachers at Apex, Jennifer Schilling! She is one of our new special education teachers. Recently, I had the opportunity to interview her. Mrs. Schilling is coming to Apex High School with experience from places all over the world. 

Originally, Mrs. Schilling was from California. “My husband is in the army, so we have lived in quite a few places all over the world.” The last school she worked at was in South Korea. She says that Germany was her favorite place that she has lived, as well as Alabama. 

One of the reasons Mrs. Schilling wanted to become a special education teacher was because of her background in substituting. “I was a substitute, and we just moved here…  I actually did a lot of long-term sub positions in the special education department, and I loved it.”  

She then shares another reason that led her to this position. During her time substituting, one of the students inspired Mrs. Schilling. “As a substitute I worked with one student who made me really, actually, consider this. This one student, it was just so rewarding working with them.”

However, special education was not what Mrs. Schilling had originally expected her job to be. “My degree is in accounting, so I thought I would go into that field, and while working on my degree I was volunteering in my child’s classes,” She eventually started to substitute more frequently at her kid’s school while working on her degree. “I realized I didn’t want to do accounting and I wanted to work in the schools.” If Mrs. Schilling was not a teacher, she said that she would probably be an accountant. “I really do like math and numbers, so I’d probably be doing that.”

When asked what her favorite thing about teaching has been so far she replied, “Working with the kids, for sure. It’s so fun getting to know everyone and each of you are so different. Right now I’m just trying to get to know everyone and it’s been really cool.” 

Outside of school, Mrs. Schilling enjoys many activities with her husband and her three daughters. “I like spending time with my family; we go on walks, hikes, and cook. We like to do movie nights, game nights, just hanging out.” She also has a cat named Oliver and a dog named Daisy. She enjoys those activities with her family as well as watching TV with her daughters. “My kids have really been into watching Full House and Fuller House and I have to admit, I have enjoyed it as well! And we just like any Disney movie.”

Finally, Mrs. Schilling tells us what excites her the most about joining the Apex community. “Well, I think I’ve always wanted to work at a high school, and having my daughter here is really cool, and I’ve heard really good things about this school.” So far, Mrs. Schilling has liked working at Apex. “We just moved here, so I didn’t really know what the options were, but now that I’m here it’s amazing.”

We’re so excited to welcome Mrs. Schilling to Apex and are so lucky to have her as one of our new teachers!