Sitting in class, quiet murmurs fill the room. Everyone’s eyes are filled with sleepiness as Ms. Durand walks in telling the students to get their books out and start reading.

Jennifer Durand is new to HRVHS and is enjoying it so far stating, “I love this school!”  She explains that  it’s really cool to be apart of a school that has such a tight knit community with kids from different ethnic backgrounds. As one of her students, I notice her passion with teaching students. When telling us a story about when she went to college in New York she said, “My roommate just couldn’t understand why I didn’t come over in a wagon from Oregon” then added “She just didn’t know anything other than the city”. Ms. Durand went to several different school receiving her masters degree at Lewis in Clark in Portland and then her under graduate in New York.

Her favorite aspect of teaching is “when students develop their own opinions, and can look at the world and know what’s going on, and what they learn in class and can make sense of the world.” She truly loves teaching kids and wants them to understand a simple question and how to apply that and make connections, whether it’s in the world or something in your life. She likes teaching because “after doing  lots of different jobs, the most effective job for me and my personality is teaching.” Some of those jobs included working retail, waitressing, cleaning houses, and office jobs.

She really was meant to be a teacher; she was meant to end up here at HRV. Before she worked here she worked at a school in Madras where many students had their “group.” She really loves how kids are going beyond the stereotypical friend groups. We don’t define our friends by what ethnicity they are or cultural background. I hope we’ll keep her around because for me and many other students really appreciate her.

Before the bell rings, Ms. Durand finishes the lesson and askes if we have any questions. Once the bell rings kids flow out. Before I walk out I tell Ms. Durand to have a good day and smile at her. She truly inspires kids to learn and see the world though different perspectives.

By: Talon Staff Reporter, Paige Lindley