KENT COUNTY, Mich. — This next Teacher of the Week serves a very small but unique portion of students in Kent County.
Jessie Rodgers teaches for the Lincoln Developmental Center, which serves students who have severe disabilities. This didn’t stop school staff from getting the students involved and going all out for this surprise.
After having to compose herself for the interview, Rodgers said, “It’s been a hard run for everyone in education since COVID hit, everybody everywhere and it’s so great to know that you’re hard work is – like people notice.”
She’s been with Lincoln Developmental Center for about eight years. Her interest began because of a friend living with Lou Gehrig’s disease.
“He was such a great guy and just wanted to continue to live life and live life to the fullest and have enriching experiences, and so when I found out about Lincoln Developmental Center and just all they do for individuals with special needs, I was like, ‘I need to be here!’ This is the place for me,” said Rodgers, excitedly.
Her coworkers pointed out one student and said it was his mom who nominated Rodgers for Teacher of the Week.
“I thought the surprise turned out great. The classroom staff were all in. They were excited about doing this. So, I just kind of turned it over to them and they kind of planned it out. It was just my job to get her out of the way so we could set up and get the show on the road as they say,” said Lincoln Developmental Center principal, Steve Kadau.
He described Rodgers as, “very compassionate about what she does. She’s dedicated, she’s energetic, she’s hard working.”
“Not that we do it to get affirmed or anything but it is just so great to know that people see our hard work and appreciate what we’re doing because we love what we do and that’s just great motivation to keep going,” said Rodgers, who got emotional as she went on to say, “We work with students who are basically miracles and often doctors may tell the parents you have six months to live and we’re celebrating 16th birthdays, 18th birthdays, 26th birthdays and it’s amazing and every day we have with our students it’s a miracle.”
If you have someone you’d like to nominate for Teacher of the Week, simply text the word “teacher” to 616-559-1310.
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