Jodi Craig of Leyton High School has been named Nspire Today!’s Teacher of the Week, sponsored by TC & More in Scottsbluff.
Craig is in her 22nd year of teaching – all at Leyton High School. She teaches business & computers as well as physical education. In addition, she’s the high school volleyball head coach, the girls track and field head coach, and the National Honor Society advisor. She’s also the class sponsor for the freshmen.
During her teaching career, Craig has also coached a lot of junior high sports, and she’s a former cheerleading sponsor.
The person who nominated Craig said, “She always supports students in everything they do. She’s also involved in many different activities in the community. If somebody ever needs something, they know they can call her, and she’ll always be there to help.”
Craig said she loves teaching Leyton students.
“It doesn’t matter what year I talk about, we always have a great group of kids,” she said. “We always have kids who work hard and are willing to learn, and that’s what has made my job so enjoyable.”
Craig lauded not only the students but also other people in the Dalton and Gurley communities.
“Everyone has been very supportive,” she said. “They take you in as one of their own immediately, and the camaraderie among the teachers, students and other people in the communities is wonderful.”
Craig said she’s glad she chose to teach business & computers and PE.
“When I went to college, I thought I was going to major in business administration, but after the first year, I thought, ‘What am I going to do with this?’” she said. “My mom was a teacher, so I was intrigued by that [career]. I wanted to work with kids, so I switched over to business education and added a physical education degree, too.”
Before being hired full-time at Leyton, Craig was a student teacher at Leyton.
She graduated from Wauneta-Palisade High School in 1992 and then graduated from Chadron State College in 1998. She began teaching and coaching at Leyton High School in the 1998-1999 school year.
Craig said her hobbies include playing the piano and judging high school rodeos.
She also loves spending time with her family. She and her husband, Justin, have two children: Logan, 15, and Kaitlyn, 13.
For being named Nspire Today!’s Teacher of the Week, sponsored by TC & More, Craig will receive a $10 gift certificate to TC & More, which is located at 1621 Broadway Ave. in downtown Scottsbluff. Gift certificates may be picked up at TC & More.
TC & More, which is the only business in western Nebraska that sells educational materials, offers a wide selection of classroom decor for area teachers. In addition, TC & More offers home decor, gifts, purses, toys, and so much more. TC & More, which encourages people to “Like” its Facebook page, also provides free gift wrapping and a 10 percent discount for seniors and military personnel.
If you would like to nominate an area teacher for Nspire Today!’s Teacher of the Week honor, you may do so by sending an email to jeff.fielder@nspiretoday.com or by mailing a letter to Nspire Today!, P.O. Box 454, Scottsbluff, NE 69363. Nominations may also be submitted by sending a text to 308-220-8865.
In addition to being recognized online, teachers honored as the Teacher of the Week will also be recognized in Nspire Today! magazine. To sign up for a one-year subscription (12 issues) to the magazine, please send $15 to Nspire Today!, P.O. Box 454, Scottsbluff, NE 69363. To pay with a credit card, please call 308-220-8865.
