Hodge enjoys showing TMS students how history connects to their lives – The Thomasville Times

Click here to listen to this article!

Zack Hodge is in his first year as a seventh grade Social Studies teacher at Thomasville Middle School. He is also an assistant football and baseball coach.

He was born in Grove Hill and raised in the Walker Springs community. Hodge graduated from Clarke County High School. He earned a degree in Secondary Education- Social Sciences from the University of Alabama.

Ive always been interested in teaching, he said. I originally went to college to become an Athletic Trainer, but I found that I did not enjoy Anatomy class. All undergrads have to take two history classes at Bama, and the first one I took had me hooked on the subject.

I decided to go into Social Studies education because of several teachers I had coming through school. Adam Andrews, now principal at Jackson Middle, Allan Floyd, still teaching at CCHS, and Annell Gordon, former English and math teacher at Wilson Hall (Middle School), all influenced me due to both their enjoyment of their content, but also the relationships they took the time to cultivate with their students.

His father, Craig Hodge, a 1989 graduate of Thomasville High School, has worked extensively in public schools at various levels. He is currently the Chief School Financial Officer (CSFO) at Bibb County Schools in Centreville, Ala.

He was a part of the 1988 football state championship team and two baseball state championships. My mom (Shawn Hodge) is from Grove Hill and graduated from CCHS in 1990. She also attended The University of Alabama, where she graduated with a degree in Human Development and Family Studies. While she technically does not have an education degree, she spent 10 years as an instructional assistant and Pre-K auxiliary at Grove Hill Elementary and the past five years as a librarian at Madison County Libraries and now Tuscaloosa Public Library.

I started teaching in January of 2020 at Hale County Middle School in Moundville, Hodge said.

As a middle school teacher, the best way to connect students to history and the other social sciences is to show the connection to their own lives. Drawing connections to their personal stories and experiences makes the subject more relatable. Middle school students are different because it is a transition time for the students. They are beginning to turn into young adults and are trying to figure life out while at the same time balancing school and extracurriculars. It is not the age group I envisioned teaching when I began this career, but I have fallen in love with middle school.

When not performing his duties as teacher and coach in the Thomasville system, in my spare time, I enjoy reading, hunting, playing golf, and cooking. I also love supporting all Crimson Tide Athletics, the New Orleans Saints, the Tennessee Titans, and the Atlanta Braves.

See the rest here:

Hodge enjoys showing TMS students how history connects to their lives - The Thomasville Times