LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Jody Reed was nominated by her principal, Julie Johansen. 

Mrs. Reed has been teaching for the Creswell School District for over 22 years, making a difference for the students and community. She teaches sixth- and seventh-grade Science at Creswell Middle School, in addition to a Fiber Arts Elective and Advisory. In the past, she has also taught a section of sixth-grade Social Studies as needed in the schedule.

"She has some of the best classroom management skills and procedures I have seen in my 16 years as a middle school principal. She is incredibly patient, positive, and supportive of all students, even those who struggle in other classrooms," said Johansen.

Mrs. Reed models and encourages community involvement, good citizenship, and student participation. She shows what it means to be a good citizen and has been active in her church for 12 years. She has served in leadership positions like Outreach and Care as part of the church council and is one of the teachers of the Youth Program. She helps coordinate potlucks and gatherings at church, including memorial services. She and her husband host a small group dinner and Bible study on Sunday evenings each week. She helps plan and has volunteered with the "Harlow Neighborhood Block Party," held on the church's front lawn. She volunteers at "Feed Hope," which seeks donations for and packages food for children at Holt Elementary School who rely on the free meal program. Lastly, she has volunteered at the "Generosity Feeds" event, a program that gathers volunteers and cash donations to provide and package 10,000 meals for students in need.

In addition to volunteering at her church, Mrs. Reed gives back to the community by helping students learn required grade-level standards and extends that learning to authentic skills, project-based learning, and field trips. For several years, she has taught students how to compost and create worm bins. She has also taught the Fiber Arts Elective at her school, teaching students how to sew and do leather crafts. In addition to this, Mrs. Reed has also chaperoned numerous field trips, helping students access experiences like the Oregon Museum and Science Institute, Portland Zoo, Hatfield Marine Science Center, Oregon Coast Aquarium, Short Mountain Landfill, BRING recycling, and the Wayne Lyman Morse US Courthouse. Furthermore, she helps with her son's Cub Scout Troop and attends local community events like the Creswell 4th of July Parade.

Mrs. Reed consistently seeks funding sources for equipment and guest speakers for her students to enrich their learning. Examples of funding sought and donations have included:

• Scientific glassware from the Creswell Education Association.
• A digital microscope from Dr. Brad Chvatal.
• Microscopes donated by Northwest Credit Union.
• Funding to purchase a math intervention program from the Creswell Education Association for struggling learners.

Mrs. Reed has secured guest speakers, including local mathematicians, local scientists, and Dr. Mark VanRyzin from the University of Oregon, to teach students about Peer Learning (a cooperative learning method). She also serves as a mentor to others interested in the field of education. She always accepts student teachers when the Universities of Oregon or Bushnell contact her.

"This is another form of community service she does, as this is an extraordinary amount of time dedicated to mentoring these teachers-in-training that is uncompensated. Jody believes that they are the future of education and that kids deserve the best in the classroom, so she is willing to take this on in addition to everything else she does," Johansen added.

Aside from the Creswell Middle School coordinated Professional Learning Community meeting time, Mrs. Reed has regularly participated in professional development classes and shared her knowledge by presenting at workshops and conferences. She was a co-presenter of C2SL at the NSTA conference in Reno, worked as a teacher advisor for the STILTS program through the University of Oregon, co-presented at the NMSA conference in Portland, and recently participated in her school district's Science Curriculum Adoption team. Furthermore, Mrs. Reed does an incredible job including parents in the triumphs (and areas of need) of their child, such as sending a Parent Square for a positive note for the day, a test score, or concept attainment, and as an intervention when things may not be going smoothly. She does an excellent job using her school's Home Access center and Google Classroom to help parents/families better support their students.

Mrs. Reed has helped create a sense of community among CMS staff by recognizing birthdays, serving on her CMS Leadership Team, serving as the union's liaison, and participating in school activities. 

"Jody is often the first person to share at our staff meetings when I ask the group to 'tell me something good.' She is also one of the most giving people I know. For instance, when one of our staff members' parents passed away and didn't have the money to fly to her parent's funeral, Jody bought her a ticket with no strings attached. Another instance was when one of our teachers didn't get a paycheck when she thought she would, Jody offered to lend her the money without hesitation. That is just the type of person Jody is for her family, our school, and our community," Johansen added.

"Overall, Jody Reed is a thoughtful, kind, and selfless teacher and person. She goes above and beyond for kids and our community and was recently named the Creswell VFW Teacher of the Year. Jody Reed is a LifeChanger," said Johansen.