Now in her 16th year teaching Social Studies, Carlin Smock, a Carmi-White County High School teacher, has earned numerous awards for her hard work and determination to make history as important and exciting to students as it is to her.
In August of this year, Carlin won the coveted title of 2026 Illinois History Teacher of the Year, and this week she was featured on an episode of The Jennifer Hudson Show in Los Angeles, California. During the segment, she discussed her love of history and what it means to teach it, and she even brought some of her favorite antiques to show off. Not only did she and her family receive a trip to California, but they were given an all-expenses-paid trip to Williamsburg, Virginia.
She broke down how the whole experience came to be. Smock received an out-of-the-blue email from a producer and immediately thought it wasn’t real. She did some digging and realized it was real; they had found her through her LinkedIn profile. She hopped on a Zoom call, and within two weeks, she and her family were traveling to California and on the show, where she talked to Jennifer Hudson, who, in her words, was “so gracious and nice!”
Smock works tirelessly out of love for the subject and her students. Winning Illinois History Teacher of the Year isn’t just for her; it also helps inspire her students to keep chasing their dreams.
“Sometimes being from a small town feels far from so much, but even this proves that you can do anything you choose to as long as you work hard and find what you are meant to do.”
Smock stated that she has finally found her rhythm as a teacher. From helping kick-start the CWC Historians and the History Club, she feels blessed and thankful for a supportive administration that lets teachers try new things and take on opportunities outside the world of Southern Illinois. It’s not only thanks to CWC, but also to her family and parents, who have been exceptional role models throughout the years.
“My mom always taught me to be fearless and not be afraid to try and fail. My dad used to watch the History Channel when I was a kid. He laughs because of what a history buff I have become!”
History is more than learning facts in her classroom; you learn empathy and understand the ‘why’ of it all. When asked about her favorite historical event to teach, she goes back to where it all started: the time between the American Revolution and the Civil War.
“So many changes occurred rapidly in those decades. Also, that is about the time that Southern Illinois began to blossom into what we know it as today, so I love to look at our impact of it as well.”
Huge congratulations to Carlin Smock on all she has accomplished and will continue to accomplish in the coming years. You can catch her segment from The Jennifer Hudson Show on YouTube.