A native of Coleman, Christi Jenkins has been teaching throughout Brown County for 28 years, making stops at all levels of education.
“I’ve been teaching since 1998,” Jenkins said. “I started out at Little Dude Ranch right out of high school and started my college career while working there. I was there for 7 years, then moved onto Infant and Toddler HeadStart and HeadStart. I was there for 10 years. I taught middle school and high school at Premier High School in Early for 4 years and I just finished my 8th year at Brownwood Middle School. So I have been teaching a while, but 19 years with public school.”
In her current role at Brownwood Middle School, Jenkins said, “I teach 8th grade Social Studies or U.S. History. I love history and want the students to appreciate history and learn to love it. I also do UIL events at BMS, Department head for the History department, and I’m the NJHS chapter Advisor. I love working with groups of students and helping them be the best they can be and the best leaders in our community.”
Jenkins’ desire to become an educator started at an early age.
“I wanted to be a teacher from the time I was in elementary school,” Jenkins said. “I had many influential teachers that helped me continue making the decision to be a teacher along the way. I wanted to help children and I knew that was what God called me to do. I never wanted to change my career path.”
Among the teachers that left an impression on her, Jenkins said, “Mrs. Bonnie Brown, Coach Randy Jones, and Mrs. Lorrie Payne made lasting impacts on me throughout junior high and high school. They taught me and showed me that learning is fun and engaging, while also helping me become the best version of myself. They had fun teaching and I wanted to be that fun teacher also.”
After Coleman High School, Jenkins went to college at Ashford University and received a bachelor’s in social sciences and a master’s degree in education.
As for the most rewarding aspect of being an educator, Jenkins said, “When they come in with a smile because they know I care, they are safe, and they learn. I love when they learn new concepts and they finally get it, like the light bulb going off in their brains. My heart is with each student every day, every year. They are not just my students for the year, they are my students forever. I love when they come back to visit/senior walks, student teaching, etc. It makes my day when they remember my class and how I made them feel.”
The most overlooked and underappreciated aspect of being a teacher, Jenkins said, “is just how hard we prepare for our classes and how much time, heart, and effort we pour into our students and our classrooms.”
Looking ahead to the future of teaching and what excites her most, Jenkins said, “Classrooms are being transformed into more individualized settings, and we have access to so much more to help our students. With technology booming, the students are more in charge, engaged in their learning, and we can facilitate while the students are able to understand more and learn more to help them in life skills, job markets, management, and to become great leaders. We, as teachers, can also engage our students more in their learning and foster creating relationships.”
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BrownwoodNews.com will highlight one Brown County educator per day in the month of July, based on nominations received on our Facebook page, for our Teacher Feature series.