SAN ANTONIO – Making learning fun is a priority for our recipient of KSAT’s Educator of the Month for January.
Amy Dodge is a fourth grade teacher at Hidden Forest Elementary at North East ISD and she says when the kids start having fun in the classroom, that’s when everything else falls into place.
Dodge is being honored as KSAT’s Educator of the Month and when you walk into her class, you already know, it’s going to be fun.
”We have a trampoline,” said Dodge. “We have a stationary bike with a desk attached that the kids can work on and we have a tent they can sit inside of and read. We just try to keep it fun.”
”She makes the classroom like, exciting and fun by all the fun stuff that she has in here and by the games that she invents,” said Maddie Yow, a fourth grader Hidden Forest Elementary.
Amy has been at Hidden Forest elementary for 11 years and she’s been teaching at Northeast ISD for 23 years.
However, she reminds her students that she was in “their shoes” at one time and she keeps her 4th grade picture handy to prove it.
”I remember struggling as a student when I was in elementary school and thinking, I don’t want students to ever feel that way,” said Dodge. “So, how can I make this something they that will stick with them? And, that they will have a good time doing.”
Emily Mae Fewell, the STEPS teacher at Hidden Forest Elementary, who nominated Amy Dodge, says what stands out to her about Mrs. Dodge is that she’s always willing to go the extra mile for students and she encourages and supports the new teachers coming in too.
”She really points out their strengths because a lot of students have strengths in different areas,” said Fewell. “And, she makes it to where they want to continue learning. So, like if it’s something that they’re really good at, she has them use that as an opportunity to teach other students. So, I think that that’s really important.”