Strengthening Society by Building Community in the Classroom A Story of Teacher & Student Success
Featured Educator Nicholas Parker Social Sciences & Career Technical Education (CTE) Teacher JEDI Virtual School Wisconsin
Drawing Students to Industries that Serve the Community The concept of “community” is a simple one, yet carries tremendous depth along with it. Those drawn to industries of service understand its inherent power as well as the need to strengthen and preserve it at all costs. There are many careers individuals can pursue to help support and reinforce the strength of their communities, such as becoming a nurse, lawyer, police officer, teacher, nutritionist, paramedic, environmentalist, and many more! Sometimes, these avenues of creating community and serving it converge to form a single path, multiplying the impact any single person can have. For one educator, that is exactly what happened. Nicholas Parker is a social sciences and career and technical education (CTE) teacher at Jedi Virtual, a public charter school servicing several school districts throughout Wisconsin. From a young age, Nick realized the importance of education, because it was something he experienced firsthand.
“…My parents are the reason why I got into education. They were both teachers, and then my mom went into counseling. They were at the same school until they retired, and I grew up seeing the value of education.” He saw the impact his parents had in his community, specifically on their students, and it’s something he rightly developed an appreciation for. Nick, too, felt drawn to support those around him and ultimately entered college to pursue a career in law. As he made his way through his undergraduate studies, he realized that he loved law and learning its intricacies, but he also saw that life as a lawyer wasn’t for him. As a family-oriented man, he decided he wanted to give his children the same thing his parents gave him.
“ I was about halfway through my undergrad, and I had started working at the law firm. One day, I kind of looked around and thought, “You know? I don’t want this. I want what my parents gave me, spending summers and holidays together as a family. As a lawyer, I knew none of that would be possible.” Nick chose to merge his inspiration with his passion and entered the field of education as a social studies teacher.
Providing High-Demand Options for Students At Jedi Virtual, Nick facilitates the school’s social science courses provided by eDynamic Learning and has been doing so for the past six years. This includes courses such as Careers in Criminal Justice, Criminology, Law and Order, and Personal Psychology. Because eDynamic Learning delivers curriculum through a webbased platform, it allows Nick to reach a large student base across multiple districts, sharing his passion and igniting that passion in others. Much of Nick’s student population resides in rural areas where programs beyond
difficult. However when an invested and respected teacher teamsup with in-demand career paths like law and criminology, along with an engaging, highly-sought-after curriculum like eDynamic Learning, miraculous things can happen. Over the past two years, Nick has seen the number of students choosing to participate in online learning programs increase. He attributes this to the uncertainty caused by the ever-changing pandemic and the growing popularity of his courses. The courses that Nick facilitates are in subject areas with high-demand careers, and that is part of the reason for growth in class size, but the other factor is Nick himself. Students recognize teachers who care, who offer support, and who go above and beyond, and Nick has drawn more students to his courses because he exhibits all of these things. But how do students, who are not in a physical classroom with their teacher know that he is that teacher? Because he uses the technology tools at his fingertips to connect with students. He appreciates that the eDynamic Learning curriculum offers opportunities to interact, build, and foster his community.
“ It’s real, that’s one of the things that I love about this curriculum. It actually creates that interaction [between teacher and student], and you do get to know the students a lot more than with a traditional online curriculum.”
Building Connections and Community From the moment students enter the course, Nick establishes the basis for connecting with them.
“ I make it a point to let them know I’m there to help and that they’re not on their own. The first thing students see online is my introduction with a little video clip of me. I follow that up a little while later with an email to get a dialogue going. That way they feel like I’m approachable, and there is not just a computer on the other end.”
traditional offerings such as law and criminology are not
Thanks to eDynamic Learning’s built-in customization feature,
available in their home schools,
Nick is able to easily embed his welcome video directly into
or to students who are fully
the curriculum so introducing himself to his students happens
online. Building community with
seamlessly. In an online environment, establishing a connection
students when you are not in
and building that community is an essential piece for many
the same physical space can be
students’ success. Whether it’s the powerful, built-in tools with
eDynamic Learning’s Learning Management System (LMS) or
Criminology, Law and Order, and Psychology- and according to Nick,
outside avenues like Zoom or email, Nick does a phenomenal
she was just a rockstar in all of them. She ended up applying for a
job weaving multiple technology pieces together to support his
scholarship from the local police department for education training.
students and cheer them on.
“ I look for anything positive from studentsa perfect score on a quiz, nice effort on an assignment, a good discussion commentand I send a shout-out email for every single one. It’s that positive interaction that builds a connection.”
Consistency Drives Success For Nick’s students, the combination of his outstanding teaching techniques and the engaging curriculum found in eDynamic Learning’s courses has created a learning environment that allows students to thrive.
“ The content is engaging, and students understand how to move through the curriculum. It’s easy to go from assignment 1 to assignment 30 no matter what class students are taking, because it’s all consistent. When you have something that has a standard design and is intuitive and easy, students know what to expect. For example, when students go from Criminology to Careers in Criminal Justice and then to Law and Order, they know the sequence of what they’re going to get. They know how to interact with the content semester to semester and it takes out that uneasiness.”
“ I just think it [the eDynamic Learning curriculum] gave her everything she needed to make that decision, that law enforcement was what she wanted to do. Without the curriculum the way it is, it could have turned her off that career path, you know? Just looking at the screen and jumping through the hoops. It could have actually put that fire out. As a teacher, I want to keep that fire going and for students to be lifetime learners, and eDynamic Learning helps me do that.”
Career Compass Coach Navigating the difficulties of today’s educational experience has been trying for students. The ones who have continued to show up and push through have found a pillar of support, a source of encouragement, and a thoughtful motivator in their teacher, Nick Parker. Nick has continued to connect with his students, and build the communities that have been, and still are so important to him. For all that you do for your students, Nick, eDynamic Learning would like to thank you.
Over the years, Nick has worked with hundreds of students. He believes that part of their success, and his, is owed to the eDynamic Learning curriculum and its ability to keep students vested in the subject matter. It has also helped prepare them for futures careers in the areas of law and criminology. One student in particular stands out to Nick when talking about preparing students for their future career. After connecting with one of his students through the initial video introduction and welcome email, Nick learned that she wanted to be a police officer. She took every single one of his courses- Criminal Justice,
Nick was recently recognized by eDynamic Learning as a 2021 Career Compass Award recipient for his incredible work with his CTE students in helping guide passion to purpose. We know he will continue to build and support his communities and help them thrive for years to come!
In this course, students will trace the development of personality and behavior from infancy through adulthood. They will also explore all that psychology can offer to help you to truly understand the human experience.
In this course, students will explore the importance of laws and how their application affects us as individuals and communities. Through understanding the court system and how laws are actually enacted, they will learn to appreciate the larger legal process and how it safeguards us all.
In the 1a course, students will explore different career choices and how the juvenile justice system, the correctional system, and the trial process all work together to maintain social orders. In 1b, they’ll explore some of the various occupations in this field, while simultaneously learning how they interact with each other and other first responders. They will also discover various interviewing techniques to uncover the truth and understand the importance of making ethical decisions.
In this course, students will investigate not only how these variables affect the criminal mind but also how crimes are investigated and handled in the criminal justice system.
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