Her Story
About Shania
Shania Jones is an elementary educator at Charles Evans Hughes Elementary School in Chicago. During the 2025–2026 school year, she taught third grade, and in the upcoming school year, she will transition into teaching departmentalized mathematics. Before becoming a general education classroom teacher, she spent five years working in special education. That experience continues to shape her commitment to inclusive instruction, strong student relationships, and meeting the individual needs of every learner.
At Hughes, Jones serves on the Instructional Leadership Team and mentors new educators. She is also involved with Teach Plus, where she has served as a Chicago Equity Change Agent and contributed to work centered on student voice, trusted adult relationships, equity, and school climate.
Jones earned her bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from National Louis University, graduating with a 4.0 GPA, receiving gold cords, and delivering a commencement address. She is currently pursuing her master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction at National Louis University. She was also recognized as one of 50 Chicago educators honored through the ChiGives Back/Teach2Give initiative. Across her classroom and leadership work, Jones is committed to creating learning environments where students feel seen, heard, supported, and challenged to meet high expectations.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Shania
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to the people who saw something in me before I fully saw it in myself. Being seen, encouraged, and held to high expectations made a lasting impact on me, and I now carry that into my own classroom. I want my students to know that their circumstances do not determine what they are capable of becoming. I work hard to make sure they feel seen, supported, and challenged to reach what I call “gold standards.” My success also comes from constantly reflecting, continuing to learn, and using my voice beyond my classroom through educational leadership and advocacy.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Question what type of educator you want to be and what your greatest impact will be when you retire or finish teaching. Avoid aiming just to be remembered as a favorite teacher; instead, define your end goal and impact first, which tells you where to begin. For me, that meant intentionally moving schools to serve where the need was greatest rather than staying in an already well-resourced area.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenges are outside the school building in the community: lack of safety, food security, resources, mental health issues, and substance abuse create a domino effect impacting attendance and learning. Schools must go beyond typical calls and actively engage the community by providing resources like washers and dryers or home visits to nourish and support families, rather than expecting parents to handle everything alone.
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