At iSucceed, we have several talented students working hard to earn their diplomas. But as we all know, behind every successful student are countless teachers helping them along the way. In this series, we highlight one of our many incredible teachers.
Meet Mrs. Jina Reeves, iSucceed instructor, Teacher of the Year 2016
Mrs. Reeves has been with iSucceed for two years now, teaching Criminology, Psychology and Sociology. She enjoys what she refers to as “old lady hobbies,” including baking and cross stitching. But Mrs. Reeves has fun with her cross stitching by designing modern shows, such as Bob’s Burgers or Star Wars.
In addition to her hobbies, another thing Mrs. Reeves loves is being a teacher at iSucceed, especially because of the different types of students she gets to meet and help mentor.
“Our students are all so inspiring that it makes it easy to do whatever necessary to help them succeed,” said Mrs. Reeves. “These students are not only persevering but are wildly succeeding in school in the face of adversity… I don’t feel like teaching them is work, it’s a pleasure and an honor.”
One of her favorite things about being an online instructor is the ability she has to provide more personalized support to each of her students.
“I believe that I have stronger connections to iSucceed’s students than I would have otherwise had in a traditional brick and mortar,” said Mrs. Reeves. “You have to make a stronger effort at communication skills and not solely be dependent on physical presence, which can, in turn, offers opportunity to bring teachers and students together.”
In fact, in one instance this past school year, Mrs. Reeves recalls working with one student who was struggling to pass his courses. Although he had gotten far behind, she wouldn’t let him give up on his grades.
The end of this school year, I had a student that was coming in every day for about two weeks and was pretty far behind in his classes because, as he admitted, he didn’t work much in the middle of the quarter. I explained how many lessons he needed to do daily to finish his courses. We worked together on two projects and prepping for his final exam in History.
Then, on the last day of school, I got an email around 8 p.m. from the student saying that he passed all of his classes. He was so excited, the next day, I checked his grades and saw that he finished his classes, and he passed with 2 C’s and an A… the A was in History. 🙂
With such dedication from her end, it’s no wonder that Mrs. Reeves was the recipient of the Teacher of the Year Award, though she told us it was a huge surprise.
“I was dumbfounded, I think I was blushing for the rest of the day,” said Mrs. Reeves. “I am so very honored and thankful to the staff, teachers, and (especially) the students.”
When it comes to advice, Mrs. Reeves has just a few words for our students and graduates:
Party on, Wayne.