The changes came flying at Jordyn Gassensmith. Teachers to colleagues. Multiple classrooms to one. iPad to MacBook. All in the span of 8 years.
Gassensmith graduated from NHS in 2015, but little did she know the school would come calling when the English department needed a new teacher eight years later. Her father was a teacher at NHS before she was a student and after she became a teacher, watching Gassensmith grow as an educator. She believes being at the school where she grew up gives her an ability to connect with her students on a new level. She says she has waited for this opportunity and is taking advantage of it.
“It has been pretty nerve racking to have a classroom full of students that I’m in charge of, but it’s also been super-exciting and awesome,” Gassensmith said.
Her students, like senior Harper Sidwell, appreciate Gassensmith’s style of teaching. Sidwell believes Gassensmith helps students with her cheerful presence and willingness to make things fun.
“My favorite part of her class is that we do a lot of collaborative work with the people at our tables,” Sidwell said. “So we can get each other’s perspectives and thoughts on the stories that we have read.”
After graduating from Noblesville, Gassensmith worked in a series of corporate jobs before landing at Ivy Tech instructing composition in their English department.
The move to NHS made sense to Gassensmith when she realized she wanted to study education. Knowing her way around the building, even if it has changed since she was a student, has helped her connect with fellow teachers and the students.
“She knows how the school works, and she has seen the school from the students’ point of view, instead of just from a teacher’s perspective,” Sidwell said.
From years of writing in high school English classes to now teaching high schoolers, Gassensmith says she has finally found her place. She believes being an English teacher after loving the subject for so long and going through the same classes she is teaching now has set her up for success. She’s also grateful for the help of her peers. Her father, Kurt Gassensmith, is a long-time special education teacher at NHS, and she says he and many of his colleagues helped her recognize her potential in the profession.
“Everybody here has been super welcoming, super helpful, and really just a guiding light in making sure that I’m set up and doing okay and that my students are doing okay,” Jordyn said.
One teacher Gassensmith says helped guide her is Eric Gundersen. The social studies teacher says he has always tried to keep her on track to be the best she can be. Gundersen went from a friend of Gassensmith’s father to her teacher to her colleague, and along the way he has watched her grow and become the best version of herself.
“It’s really been fun to see how much Ms. Gassensmith has changed and matured. I think it will be easy for her to relate to some of our students who struggle due to her own experiences,” Gundersen said.
A 30-year fixture at NHS, Kurt Gassensmith has had an even better seat to view his daughter’s path. And after three decades of teaching, he says he’s reached a turning point: his daughter joining him in the building. He recognizes the hard work that brought her to where she is today.
“If you put your mind to things, you can accomplish a lot of work and your goals. [Jordyn is] proof of that. She worked very hard and just kept going and it all worked out,” Kurt said.
