Teacher of the Week: Hannah Hendricks, Paddington British Private School

As a society, we may forget that teachers are public employees in the vein of firefighters, policemen and politicians. Teachers perform a public service. To become a teacher is a choice to forsake the almighty dollar and instead serve the interests of the general public (that’s you and me). So it’s worthwhile to recognize this sacrifice and acknowledge teachers for the heroes they are--heroes in the everyday war of attrition we wage against ignorance and apathy. In this weekly series, Woodlands Online features one Woodlands area educator for his or her outstanding contributions to our children’s development.

THE WOODLANDS, Texas—Originally born and raised in Highlands, North Carolina, Hannah Hendricks now resides in The Woodlands where she is a pre-kindergarten teacher at Paddington British Private School.

After being a teacher’s assistant for a kindergarten class her senior year of high school, Hendricks knew she wanted to have a career as a teacher. She went on to graduate from Liberty University with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education, with a concentration in both science and special education.

Hendricks has been teaching for three years, and this is her second year at Paddington. She teaches all subjects to pre-kindergarten students in the morning, and then she teaches science club in the afternoon. Hendricks enjoys opening her students’ eyes to different science experiments. Students in the science club have done many activities this year such as making volcanoes and building Egyptian pyramids out of sand. The most recent unit had a dinosaur theme, and the students got to be paleontologists and dig for bones in the sand.

“Coming from a science background in college, I love hands-on experiments and getting our hands dirty,” said Hendricks.

Hendricks’ favorite part of the school year is Christmas, because Paddington celebrates the holidays by focusing on different cultures around the world. The students learn about Italy, Russia, France, Great Britain, and more.

“Paddington is so special and is very culturally diversified,” said Hendricks. “I have students from Italy and Russia, and seeing their faces as I taught on these countries was priceless. I have loved being able to hear them speak their languages.”

Hendricks has a passion for kids and inspiring young minds. With fun, hands-on activities and science experiments, she loves seeing the faces of students light up with excitement.

“I have always had a passion for kids and inspiring young minds,” said Hendricks. “More than anything, I just want them to be themselves and treat others with love and respect. I continually teach my students to use kind words and include others to become better friends. I am so blessed to be a teacher and have loved every minute of it. Being with pre-k students is always a blast. They say the funniest things, and there is never a dull moment while teaching”

Outside of the classroom, Hendricks loves crafting and often gets her ideas from Pinterest. In the past, she has created furniture out of pallets, and she plans on making a pallet garden this spring.

Hannah Hendricks was nominated by an anonymous co-worker.