MONTAGUE — Jen Szegda has a passion for not only teaching, but helping students. Szegda taught seventh-grade English for 14 years and sixth-grade science for 11 years, until last year when she transitioned into a new role as a behavior specialist at NBC Middle School in Montague.
“I have proactive groups that I work with just to support positive behavior choices and strategies for students,” Szegda said. “If they get frustrated, (we examine) how they work through things. I do restorative work with students, like role playing during lunch. I also follow up if there’s been some sort of conflict in the classroom.”
Although Szegda enjoyed teaching in a classroom previously, she is passionate about helping students understand their behaviors and how they affect their daily lives.
“In my role now, I get to help students more individually,” said Szegda. “When I was teaching English, I felt I had more of a connection with the kids because they would do their own writing and I would know more about them. When I switched to science, I didn’t feel I had the same connection with the kids because it’s more formal. Management’s a little different in a science classroom than an English classroom. Now being able to connect with kids and be a support for them, that’s why I really like it. I feel I’m a safe space for them to talk to and process.”
Szegda first discovered her passion for helping others in high school, which eventually led to her decision to follow a career in education.
“When I was in high school, we had a peer assistance program,” Szegda said. “I went to Whitehall High School, and I think the program was piloted my junior year. We learned strategies to work with younger students, and that year I spent an hour each day in a fourth-grade classroom and I really enjoyed it. My senior year, I stayed in the program and was in a first-grade classroom because I enjoyed it so much. When I went to college, I knew I wanted to do something with people. I originally chose Western Michigan University because of their occupational therapy program and teaching program, and I wasn’t sure what direction I wanted to go in yet. But they were both people-centered avenues. I took a children’s literature class my first year and loved it. That’s when I decided on the teaching direction.”
Szegda shared her favorite moments with students. She described them as “when the lightbulb clicks” or that “aha moment.”
“When I’m working with kids, I like the look on their face when they figure out that they made a mistake,” said Szegda. “‘I now get why that’s a problem.’ That moment where they take ownership or they get the understanding of ‘here’s what happened and here’s how it needed to go differently.’”
Despite the challenges of being in education, Szegda shows up for her students everyday, and looks forward to helping them improve their studies and daily lifestyles.
