Jenny McKenna always knew she wanted to teach. From an early age, she would play school with her siblings and assigned them homework, assignments and organized lessons.
“I just knew that words and language and books were really a big part of my life,” she said.
McKenna earned an English bachelor’s degree in 2000 from St. Mary’s College of California, near Oakland and a master’s in education from Westminster College in 2005.
Beginning in 2001, she has taught English and science to students ranging from fifth to 12th grade. This year marks McKenna’s second year in the school district, having taught at the high school in 2007 before going to Ogden for two years.
She began teaching English at the Park City Learning Center, which she said is different from a traditional classroom in a number of ways.
The biggest difference between her current position and others she has held is the class size, according to McKenna. Her smallest class consists of six students, while there are 12 in the largest. The small size makes meeting the individual needs of her students easier, she said.
“If you have five kids in a class you can find out very quickly who needs more visual interpretation, who is going to need help with writing, who is much more of an oral learner,” she said. “That is an immediate transition you can make as a teacher in a small class.”
Other than the number of students in her class, McKenna said doesn’t vary much from what she has taught in other environments.
A lot of people have the misconception that it’s easier, it’s slower, it’s more hand-held,” she said. “I teach the exact same curriculum that I would teach at the high school.”
“My expectations haven’t changed,” she added.
There is a variety of reasons for which students may enroll for classes at the learning center, McKenna said. Some request it, while others are referred or encouraged because of the differing environment from that of the high school.
The learning center offers core math, history, language and science classes in the facility, according to McKenna. Electives and any other credits students need for graduation must be fulfilled at the high school.