A Constant Gift of Knowledge & Inspiration to our Youth ... Yesterday & Today
PRI
Front Cover Feature Dr . Theresa B . Hodge School Educator , Community Innovator Jacksonville Florida Summer 2014
A Constant Gift of Knowledge & Inspiration to our Youth ... Yesterday & Today
Dr . Theresa B . Hodge dedicated the last 45 years of her life affecting positive change in the lives of young people . Today she can count thousands upon thousands of productive adults in society who were touched by her teaching and leadership . She simply states " To God be the glory ."
Better known as ' Principal Hodge ' by students and the Jacksonville community at large , Theresa Hodge made it her mission in life to help all children to be the best they could be by meeting them where they were and assisting in them moving as far as they could go forward . This she did starting in positions as a Teacher and Health Coordinator at Northwestern Junior High School 1964 , Dean of Student at Andrew Jackson 1969 , Principal at Eugene J . Butler 7th Grade Center 1989 , Principal at Northwestern Middle School 1991 , Principal at Arlington Middle School 1994 , and Principal at Paxon Middle School 1997 - 2000 .
My first year as Principal was wonderful . It was like I died and had gone to heaven . I supervised a seventh grade center serving students from all areas of Duval County . The next year I remained at the same school however , the school was designed as a neighborhood school where only student from the existing area attended the school . The school was located in a blighted area of Jacksonville slated as under-deprived and a high crime area . From that point until retirement , I was assigned to what I deemed ' challenged schools . , Needless to say , I too was challenged .
Some might say it was a fall from heaven . I went from an above average parental involvement to no parental involvement to no parental involvement at all . From highly acclaimed academic success to student fights on and off campus on a daily basis . The neighborhood was a mixture of an industrialized area surrounded by low-income residential housing known as the projects . How do I make something positive out of this situation ? How do I motivate my staff?
I realized I had to redirect my thought process by not seeing this change as problematic but rather challenging . I sold the process to my staff and administration and 85 % bought into the plan and today I contribute much of my success to the caring and dedicated efforts of my teachers and administration .
The standards used to determine my success were far different than what I was used to . Keeping the number of violent incidents down and having a low rate of teen pregnancies were top amongst high achievement . I wanted more for my students . I wanted high academic achievement . I wanted high self-esteem and self-worth . I wanted high percentage of graduation . I wanted my students to go on to college with academic and athletic scholarships . The students bought into this concept and my schools became model schools .