West Welcomes Jennifer Panici

Jennifer Panici is a special education teacher here at West. She currently teaches English with juniors and seniors in the special education department. In addition to working here at West in her seventh year of teaching, Ms. Panici has also taught variations of English in Arizona and another school in Illinois. Ms. Panici went to Illinois State University for her bachelor’s degree in English education, later went back to school and got an endorsement in special education, and recently got her masters in reading. Ms. Panici always knew she wanted to be a teacher. Growing up in a family of teachers, starting in the sixth grade, she “went to work with [her] mom and, ever since then, knew she wanted to become a teacher.” Although in the beginning of high school, Ms. Panici thought about becoming a math teacher, she was deterred away from that subject and was drawn more to English because she enjoyed reading. She has always liked her English classes and thought that the path would have been a better fit. She also credits her mom for directing her into special education, loving the department because the “differentiation makes you think in different, creative ways.” Here at West, Ms. Panici volunteers with Best Buddies and hopes to get further involved in the club or “wherever [she] fit[s] in the little niche of West.”