Teacher Feature: Morgan Hudson

By Barbara P. Jacoby

 

She knows it sounds cliche, but it’s true: Morgan Hudson always knew she would be a teacher. The eight-year educator, who teaches AP and Honors U.S. History at Creekview HS, grew up teaching her younger brother all her school lessons.

“To me, being a teacher was more than just a career choice, it is my calling,” Hudson said. “There is no other job that I would pour my heart into like I do with teaching and the field of education.”

Her love for teaching shines through in innovative lessons and her willingness to take on additional roles at school — from sponsoring the Rho Kappa National Social Studies Honor Society to organizing the school’s observance of National Girls and Women in Sports Day.

As one example of innovation, Hudson uses the Flipgrid video communication platform and a blob tree (a drawing of a tree inhabited by multiple figures depicting different feelings) as a regular check-in on how her students are doing “both inside and outside of the classroom and on specific skills/content we were learning.” Students select the blob that best expresses their feeling and record a video of themselves talking about their choice and sharing any other feedback. Hudson is the only one who can view these videos, and she can use Flipgrid to respond back.

“I love how I can utilize Flipgrid to emphasize social-emotional learning,” she said. “Utilizing the blob tree allowed me to get to know the students better more quickly and gave me a stronger understanding of how each student was doing.”

Hudson also makes lessons personal, such as by sharing stories and photos from her visits to the historical places they’re studying.

“I think that by being unapologetic about my love of history and sharing the new information that I learn with my students, they see how exciting it can be to dive into learning and finding what they are passionate about,” she said. “Any time students have a question about something that I do not know the answer to, I encourage them to look it up, and we all learn as a class in the moment, which is a cool experience. In our activities, I have students connecting historical events to more modern- and present-day events, so that they can see the connections and how things have changed or stayed the same. To me, creating relevancy is key in making them excited about learning.”

 

What can parents do to help their child be as successful as possible at school?

High school is a transition period for students, as they begin to take more ownership in their education. Parents can help with this transition by asking questions, listening, and encouraging their children,” Hudson said. “It’s important for parents to create open lines of communication with them. For the high school level, especially for a social studies classroom, parents can discuss the news and current events with them to help them gain a better understanding of the world around them.”