SHELBYVILLE, Ill. (WCIA) — Each year, The Golden Apple Foundation selects several teachers and principals from across Illinois who significantly influence their students and communities. This year, a distinguished educator from Shelbyville High School was among them.

Tim Aberle, a world history and psychology teacher, was honored by the foundation. Out of nearly 500 nominations for 9th-12th grade teachers, he was chosen to receive this recognition.

“I was just trying to take it all in as best as I could, just rolling with the punches and just looking around me and just trying to be in the moment and enjoy it,” Aberle said.

Aberle has been working in the district for five years. He said what got him into this career were the ones before him.

“I love to learn, and when I was growing up, school was a warm, safe, welcoming place to me,” Aberle said. “At school was a place where my interests were nurtured and I had teachers that inspired me and motivated me.”

Now he’s able to take what he’s learned over his 10-year career and implement that into the classroom.

“I’ve been blessed to have Mr. Aberle as a teacher,” said Kenna Prosser, student of Aberle.

The senior in high school said Aberle is one teacher she connected with.

“Truly, I’ve seen he cares deeply about his students. He checks in on us, he asks what we want to do in our future,” Prosser said. “If we’re struggling, he’ll sit down and see how he can help us in any way.”

And those are just a few qualities into why The Golden Apple Foundation picked him.

“It’s incredible, it’s incredible and it prompts me again to look back at all the nights and days that it wasn’t always easy,” Aberle said. “It’s not always smooth, sometimes it’s hard.”

Aberle said this award shows the strength and resilience in not giving up.

“I’m always learning, and I’m always shifting, and I learn something from each and every one of them [his students],” Aberle said. “And ideally, it’s something I can give back to them right away, but I become a better teacher because of my interaction, my relationship with them.”

He was awarded a $5,000 check and a spring sabbatical from Northwestern University. This means he’ll be able to take free classes next year to learn anything he wants.

Aberle and the other 10 recipients will now help play a role in preparing the next generation of teachers in the Golden Apple’s scholars and accelerators programs, which are dedicated to addressing the teacher shortage in Illinois.