Welcome!

I am so happy you found my little corner of Outschool and are interested in my classes! 

I am currently an elementary school counselor in the public school district in which I live. In my role, I love to teach my students all about social skills, coping skills, confidence, and much more! I also hold small groups with students who are going through similar struggles together such as divorce, grief, self-esteem issues, and social skills, to name a few. Helping students through tough situations while empowering them to find solutions on their own is one of my greatest joys. I like to use Solution-Focused Therapy as my main means of working with my students at school. This is how I approach my Outschool classes as well. While my classes are not counseling- or therapy-specific, I use my expertise in counseling to guide each class.

My in-person students call me Mrs. Hyde, but you can call me Teacher Jenna here. I am quite casual in my teaching because I love to laugh, have fun, and use humor as a way to deliver lessons on what can sometimes be heavy topics. Creating a welcoming, inclusive space is so important and my goal every day.

My educational and professional background includes a Master's Degree in School Counseling (Pre-K-12th grade). I am a certified school counselor in the state of Missouri. I also hold two Bachelor's degrees- the first in Psychology of Human Behavior, and the second-Health Science. I am always learning which I believe is so important for everyone, regardless of age! 

I have been an online English teacher for close to 3 years. I have taught adult English classes in my community, I have taught pharmacy technician classes at a local community college, and I have worked with neuro-diverse students in an after-school program, including my own son. I also hold a substitute teaching certificate in the state of Missouri. I love teaching and I love kids! 

Please take a look at my available courses. I can't wait to meet you in my classroom!

Thank you for following me!

*All ages listed on classes are approximate. You know your child best and if you feel the class would be a good fit, go ahead and sign them up (if the age is within 1 year in each direction)! You can always send me a message for clarification as well. I love all communication and helping you to figure out if a class is the right fit for your child.*
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Below are helpful guidelines for a successful class. I have adapted these after teaching several classes, as well as observing my own young son take his own classes. There are many things that we can do to make each class go smoothly and for each student to get the most out of their time!

Please put your student’s video feed in “gallery view” so each student can see all other students. This will help each student to interact with each other easier.

I love a talkative class! Sometimes it can get loud and because I love to hear EVERYONE’s awesome facts throughout class, I don’t like to mute students. Instead we will practice raising our hands to speak, especially if someone else is already speaking. Students can do this either by raising their physical hand or the interactive feature in Zoom. I may mute a student from time to time if there is a lot of background noise interference. If parents and/or guardians are nearby, it is helpful if you help to mute and unmute when appropriate. Thank you in advance!

I work very hard to call on each student as often as possible to give everyone equal time; however I understand if some students do not like to talk and that is ok! I will still mention their name throughout class to see if they have anything they’d like to contribute. If not, they can say “no thank you, pass, etc.” and I will move on to the next student. I don’t want anyone to be uncomfortable in class!

I prefer all students to have their video feed on at all times. If it is necessary to turn it off at some point, I may ask from time to time to see the student again to make sure they are still having a good time and are safe. If a student needs to leave class early, please type this in the chat box or let me know in the video before leaving class.

Most of my classes center around toys or artwork so bringing either to class is encouraged! Students often do better with online learning when they have something to make them feel comforted or to keep their hands busy. I love to make classes interactive so if they are participating while playing, I encourage that!

Siblings, neighbors, cousins, friends, etc. are welcome to observe; if they are actively engaging in the class, Outschool requires them to enroll separately. When two children in one household are enrolled at the same time, they may share a device, but must both be enrolled to engage in class and be called on in class. Please send me a note ahead of time letting me know that two children will be sharing one device.

I love to talk and because students tend to talk a lot with me and each other, class may go a few minutes over. If your student needs to leave, they can say goodbye and leave even if we are not quite finished. I will try as hard as possible to end classes at their exact end time, but going over by a few minutes is bound to happen once in a while :)