11^th and 12^th grade English teacher, Mrs. Ordway, recently won Downey High School’s teacher of the month for the month of January. While she believes that she just got lucky for winning, many of her students and former students believe that she deserved it.

After joking with her classes for so long and yelling during the announcements, “Quiet down! I can’t hear them call my name,” her joke became a reality. Ordway was rushing to a meeting as she heard her name being called during the morning announcements.

She is not sure how she was picked but she says that she does appreciate the honor, especially since there are so many teachers at Downey High.

Though Ordway does not see it, many of her students see her classroom as being different than any other English class they have had. They like how one little statement can lead to a whole class discussion. She does not really see herself as being different, but she does know one thing, she enjoys being in her classroom with her students, or as Ordway calls them, her “kids.”

“I’m not sure I’m different,” Ordway said. “I know I truly enjoy my job… It’s pretty cool when you talk about something like Transcendentalism or Romanticism and it causes a spark of conversation and at the end of the period all you think is: mind blown.”

Students, like senior, Alex Alvarez—former student of Ordway, states that he had a great connection with her.

“I like Mrs. Ordway because when you walk into her class, she makes you feel at home,” Alvarez stated. “You feel comfortable. I wish I still had her.”

A previous student of Ordway once told her that walking into her room felt like a hug and that is how she often describes her room now.

Ordway tries to make her classroom fun, while still teaching the curriculum that needs to be taught.

“I’m not sure I’m connecting with students more than others,” Ordway said. “Maybe students feel like they connect with me because I can switch into an English accent seamlessly and they feel like they’re talking to Mary Poppins? I’m just kidding—not about the accent I can totally do that, but about the Mary Poppins thing.”

A little sense of humor lightens the mood of the classroom and Mrs. Ordway has that humor.

Senior, Matthew Brady, a current student of Ordway appreciates that she tries her best to understand her students.

“She teaches through the eyes of the student,” Brady stated, “so if we have trouble with something, she’ll always address her time. She’s just always there for you. If you need help, she’ll give it to you.”

To share a further connection with her students, Ordway created a Twitter account about three years ago to communicate with them about their assignments.

“It’s an easy and natural way to communicate with students,” Ordway said. “They seem to like it and I do my best to keep up with it.”
The majority of teachers at Downey High do try to have a strong connection with their students, and Mrs. Ordway has definitely made a connection. Although she may not realize that her style of teaching is something out of the ordinary, her students firmly believe that she is special.