Miss Honey from “Matilda.” Ms. Frizzle from “The Magic School Bus.” Mr. Keating from “Dead Poets Society.” Will Schuester from “Glee.”

Pop culture’s most famous teachers are often bold, loud and magnetic.

Ms. Chrissy Nutter is not.

Introverted by her own description, Nutter was named an Award of Special Recognition honoree in the Illinois State Board of Education’s Those Who Excel program on Feb. 11, becoming one of four Community teachers recognized this year.

Across the district, 15 Unit 5 staff members were honored—the most of any single district in Illinois—with nearly 450 educators and school staff members recognized statewide.

Editor’s note: This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Q&A: Ms. Chrissy Nutter on quiet work and Those Who Excel

Q: When you found out you’d been selected for Those Who Excel, how did you react?

A: I felt humbled and proud at the same time. It means a lot that people see the hard work I put in — especially my coworkers and students — and that they acknowledge it and appreciate it.

Q: Why did the honor surprise you?

A: I’m a quiet person. I just do the work and I’m OK with that, so it surprised me that people noticed. It was a good surprise.

Q: Do you know who nominated you?

A: Yes. Mr. Velasquez nominated me. He teaches Spanish.

Q: What do you hope people understand about the work you do every day?

A: I’m here to support students however I can. That’s the whole purpose of doing this. Every day is different, but I enjoy coming in and helping.

Q: You didn’t start out teaching ESL and co-teaching math. How did you get here?

A: I graduated with a degree in elementary education with a minor in Spanish, and I started out teaching high school Spanish. About five years in, I went back for my English as a Second Language endorsement. After that, I came here to teach English to non-native English speakers, and then I got integrated into the math program, too, co-teaching a variety of math classes.

Q: What is your role in the math classroom?

A: I’m not the math-certified teacher in the room. I’m there for language support. The content teacher is the math-certified person, and I help with the language component. I don’t have a math degree, but I know the material because I’ve taught it for 10 years.

Q: How do you manage the responsibilities that come with those roles?

A: It’s manageable because I have a strong support system. The other ESL teachers support me, and my math co-teachers are phenomenal. We work well as a team, and we lean on each other when we need help.

Q: What keeps you motivated, even on busy days?

A: Every day is a different story, but I enjoy coming in. With students like you and teachers like Ms. Perez, it makes everything so much easier.

Q: A colleague said you “wear a lot of hats” and it’s nice to see you recognized. What was it like hearing that?

A: That made me feel special. It was very sweet to hear, and I appreciate it. I’m honored you decided to do this story on me.