Jennifer Woods has been a Middle School teacher at Whitefield for three years. She teaches sixth-grade language arts and eighth-grade English. She and her husband, Josh, have a four-month-old daughter, Anna Lynn. Her hobbies include photography, traveling, and reading.
Jennifer Woods has a mission. A Middle School English teacher, her goal is to teach students the fundamentals of good composition, inspire them through literature, challenge them to develop as unique individuals, and help them solidify their faith in a mighty and loving God.
It’s a lofty goal.
However, with several years of teaching under her belt, Woods has learned a thing or two to help her fulfill her mission and be the best teacher she can be.
One important skill she values is fostering a sense of respect in the classroom.
“I believe if I treat the students with respect that they will feel more open and comfortable in my classroom, expanding their opportunities to learn. I also expect my students to treat others with respect, making everyone in the classroom feel safe and welcome.”
Feeling safe is especially important when the subject matter is English and students must share their opinions about literature, read their compositions aloud, and sometimes reveal personal information about the way they think and feel about various topics.
“Literature forces us to examine ourselves and the world in which we live,” Woods said. “Through this examination, we can question ourselves and our society in order to confirm or challenge our beliefs.”
One book studied in her eighth-grade class is Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card. A science fiction novel, the book follows genius Ender Wiggin as he tries to save the world from destruction.
“We analyze Ender’s journey to establish his identity,” she said. “We then compare Ender’s journey to God’s plan for our lives, which enables students to discover their identify in Christ.”
Getting students to share in class sometimes takes an extra push, so Woods encourages classroom participation by drawing their name randomly throughout the class period.
“This keeps students on their toes and engaged in the discussion. In addition, throughout the year, we have planned Socratic seminars. All students must come prepared with discussion points and respond to their classmates’ contributions.”
As the year progresses, she watches her students become more comfortable with classroom discussions and more adept in their writing skills.
“Students are often unmotivated due to a lack of self-confidence,” Woods said. “When we feel like we will fail, we often don’t even try. I always start out the year with encouragement, not criticism; I praise them for what they do well. As students become comfortable, you can work with them to establish clearly outlined goals that are both challenging and attainable.”
Her students are the first to agree that her methods work.
“I really like the way she encouraged everyone and helped me in my writing,” said Katie Cella (7th). “She showed me specific mistakes in my writing and then we planned how I could fix them.”
With several classes, it takes careful planning and commitment to learn each student’s needs and focus on improving their individual performances.
“Because we encourage students to write what they know, I can learn about them through their writing. I also meet with students one-on-one during class to coach them in their writing. I encourage them to attend extra help before and after school in order to make our interactions more personal and valuable,” she said.
“Mrs. Woods knows how to help students have fun and learn at the same time,” said Jared Jones (7th). “Through different activities, she helped me to become more confident in public speaking and writing. If we didn’t talk to her in class, she was always available through email.”
As for reaching her own goals, Woods trusts that her commitment to mentoring kids and excelling at teaching will ultimately pay off.
“As teachers our job is to plant seeds,” she said. “We often don’t see the fruit that comes from those seeds immediately. But I have seen students do a 180 in my class before. I’ve seen unmotivated students come alive when we read certain novels or write certain types of essays. The key is to give students a reason to care by making class relevant.”