JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Each and every Thursday, we highlight a special educator doing great work in and outside of the classroom.
This week, we go to Jacksonville Country Day in Baymeadows where Cristina Knodel has worked for 13 years as a tech specialist.
Whether it’s 3D printing, building robots, or web design, Knodel is up to date with technology and passing her knowledge to her students.
“We go over coding and things like that and we are building robots and taking them apart and putting them back together and we also work on the soft skills which are equally important, teamwork,” said Knodel.
For each lesson, the students practice working together and they also love using their creativity.
“I like tech because we all get to be creative,” said Max Sullivan, student.
“She lets us use our minds and it’s just awesome,” said another student.
Mrs. Knodel’s peers say she deserves to be Teacher of the Week because of how dedicated she is to her students. She was surprised to be nominated.
“I was very excited, also nervous,” said Knodel.
She’s the gift of knowledge that keeps on giving.
“My advice would be to let kids fail specifically in my area we do a lot of making and tinkering and the hardest thing for me was being hands off,” said Knodel.
To nominate your favorite educator, go to firstcoastnews.com/education.