A former teacher switching her position and bringing a brand new teacher to the school isn’t something that happens very often, especially in the middle of the school year.
Annie Odro, formerly a creative writing and credit recovery teacher, has left her position as a teacher. However, she remains at Prairie High School, and while she might not be teaching students, she will still be helping them in other ways as what is called an “Intervention Coordinator.” While she will still be interacting with students, she will miss her position as a teacher, because she “has some great students that she’s formed relationships with,” and she finds that it will be hard to let go of those bonds.
The switch is a major change in routine and environment. While not teaching is a drastic difference on its own, so are the things Odro now sees in her day compared to the things she used to see just in her classroom. She says “It’s eye-opening,” but also that “it’s hard because there are a lot of things that we can improve upon, and it’s going to be some work to do those improvements.”
As an Intervention Coordinator, Odro will work with and support academic and behavioral interventions for students. This being said, she will often be working with the SEL Room (more commonly referred to as “Room 301” by students), graduation coaches, counselors prevention/intervention specialists, and students in general who need a lot of support. For those students that need support, she will also be working on figuring out if they are getting the support they need, or if other types of support would be better.
The position is funded by a federal grant, known as the Project AWARE grant. This grant is a mental health grant, and the position lasts five years. After these five years are over, Odro hopes to continue working with mental health, either through Prairie or by branching out.
