DEED Spotlight on Jennifer Hodges, Kenny Lake School

Mrs. Hodges, a 2^nd through 5^th grade teacher at Kenny Lake School in the Copper River School District believes that parent-teacher-student relationships are necessary for success in school. To ensure that connection continues while school buildings are closed, she has established herself on multiple learning platforms to stay available and maintain relationships with her students and families.

Mrs. Hodges uses a combination of Google Classroom, Zoom, calls, texts, and emails to stay in touch with students and families. Because she teaches four different grade levels, she doesn’t have a set class time scheduled, but rather is available to students all day on the various the platforms. She makes sure to connect with students and families multiple times per week.

Mrs. Hodges uses videos to share lessons, showcase projects, demonstrate experiments, clarify grade-level materials, and to offer pep talks! Through partnerships with state and community sponsors, her classroom started a Salmon Rearing Project in January. When the school building closed, Mrs. Hodges started filming periodic video updates to keep her students engaged in the salmon life cycle demonstration. She also has a Salmon Poetry series where she teaches salmon-themed poetry lessons at local outdoor locations.

At least once per week Mrs. Hodges rides the school bus through town to deliver lunches and curriculum. These weekly bus rides allow her a chance to interact with her families and students in-person – from a distance!

While Mrs. Hodges misses seeing her students in the classroom every day, she has found an upside to the new distance delivered format. She gets more opportunities to have one-on-one conversations with her students and, as a result, has developed stronger relationships! Through Zoom calls, students have given Mrs. Hodges tours of their homes, introduced her to their pets, and have even engaged in dance-off challenges! Despite the distance, Mrs. Hodges and her students are more connected than ever.

Thank you, Mrs. Hodges, for fostering strong connections through distance learning!