Kofa High School teacher Jayden Gubbels
News 11's Adonis Albright speaks with Ms. Gubbels about how she's making a difference in her students' lives
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - Jayden Gubbels, an English teacher at Kofa High School, has only been teaching at the school for three years. Now entering her fourth year teaching in the world of academia, the Education Foundation of Yuma County says she has gone above and beyond in paving the way forward for her students and their education.
"Such a grand amount of support from the community, it is really wonderful", said Gubbels.
The annual award ceremony was hosted virtually on November 17.
Now in the age of the coronavirus pandemic, the world of academia has been changed indefinitely. But Ms. Gubbels said she has found a way to reach past the computer screen and reach into her students' hearts and minds.
"Those relationship building things that we usually have in the classroom, we have to figure out how to do those online and support students socially and emotionally online as well, but everyone's been super innovative and working really hard to be able to do that this year", said Gubbels.
Gubbels has a message to all of the teachers who have had to adapt to a virtual world of teaching. She not only wants to thank them for the hard work they do each and every day, but is appreciative of how her colleagues have pulled together for the sake of the students.
Ms. Gubbels is now the second teacher at Kofa High in a row to win the award for teacher of the year for Yuma Union High School District (YUHSD). Kofa culinary teacher Christie Nicholson was the 2019 award winner.
