Employee of the Month: Hodges cares about students’ well-being
It is with pleasure that we honor Amanda Hodges, Social Science Teacher at Career Technical Education Charter High School, as the March 2022 Employee of the Month.
Amanda’s classroom is set up to maximize student learning with history timelines adorning her walls, flexible seating arrangements and mobile screens to project subject matter. A stopping point for CTEC campus tours is Amanda’s room, as it typically has examples of integrated projects in the classroom; projects that span the curriculum that include CTE. Her teaching is student-centered, and this is evident by the group discussions and collaboration that takes place daily. CTEC students participate in fall and spring showcases, as well as internships as early as spring of their junior year. Amanda helps her students prepare for this by requiring students to dress business-like for their class presentations and by inviting staff members to be a part of a “panel” to provide feedback during these presentations.
The well-being of students drives her decision-making. In the spring of 2021, CTEC had students on campus for instruction, as well as some students who remained on distance learning. To meet the needs of all students, CTEC invested in motion-tracking cameras to allow students a better view of the instructor as the instructor moved around the room. Amanda was the first staff member to volunteer to use the technology so that she could fine-tune it not only for the students, but also for her fellow teachers. Amanda saw that there was a need to provide up-to-date information on our school website, so she took on the task of being the site webmaster, working with the FCSS Instructional Technology department to improve the site.
Amanda cares deeply about the whole child and strives for all her students to succeed. She often collaborates with the guidance and learning specialist for the emotional well-being of her students and all students with her insight on social-emotional curriculum. She embodies all the CTEC pillars and ultimately wants the program to be meaningful and successful.
In addition to all of this, Amanda has been a consistent leader at CTEC. She has led the sophomore professional learning community and currently leads the senior PLC. In the fall semester, she helped organize and support the senior teachers with curriculum. Amanda is an observant, thoughtful and compassionate leader who gives 100% of herself every day. Then, she asks herself how she can make it even better the next day.
“I love being a teacher at CTEC because I get to be around like-minded people,” said Amanda. “Educators who have the same vision for education and the willingness to build a school that meets the needs of today’s society. I am thankful to be a part of the CTEC community.”
