Published: February 19, 2020
Photo Submitted
Jordyn Kiel’s dream was to be a teacher for practically her whole life. When she got to high school she knew she wanted to come back and teach high schoolers at FHN. According to Kiel, her teachers really helped shape her into becoming a high school teacher.
“I really loved being a student at North,” Kiel said. “I genuinely felt that in 2009 the community at North was unlike any other school, I felt as a grade, the relationship between teachers and students was good. It was such a fun, spirited and uplifting place to be.”
While at FHN, Kiel joined the journalism program where Aaron Manfull was her teacher. He introduced her to the journalism world and gave her tools that she needed to succeed, such as teaching her how to be a great and effective leader while being a solid human being. Kiel joined the newspaper staff her junior year and was the editor-in-chief her senior year. Similar to publications now, she went to conventions like students do nowadays. Journalism means the world to her and she wouldn’t be the person she is today without it, according to Kiel.
“As a student, Mrs. Kiel was very similar to how you see her today,” Manfull said. “She was always very friendly to everybody and she worked extremely hard.”
Once Kiel took journalism, she knew she wanted to be a journalism teacher. Since she wanted to come back to high school to teach and journalism jobs are hard to find, she stayed in contact with the teachers she was close with in high school.
“I look forward to so many things because every day is different,” Kiel said. “I love experiencing every new moment with different students and the new moments I have throughout the day and the building of relationships. That’s why I wanted to become a teacher.”
At FHN, Kiel now teaches Intro to Journalism and Photojournalism, and she is an adviser for the yearbook staff.
“I would say what makes it all worth it is the process and the growth throughout,” Kiel said. “It’s pretty much unbeatable to watch a yearbook staff see the yearbook that they worked on all year for the first time in the summer. There’s something about seeing what you’ve put your whole heart into and it come to life.”
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