Welcome to American University EDU 455 and 601.  I am Jody Hagen-Smith, the instructor for this course.

Three things to know about me:  1) I am a mom of two pretty cool teenagers.  They will both be in high school this year (Walter Johnson), which I expect will keep me on my toes! I’m already starting to panic about sending them off to college in a few short years, but friends keep assuring me by the time they graduate, we’ll all be ready for some separation. 2) I love collecting recipes and finding new restaurants, but I don’t like the term “foodie.”  I recently had a chance to eat at Rose’s Luxury and believe me when I say, that place is not overrated.  Two words:  Flavor explosion. 3) I’m passionate about literacy and helping kids become great readers and writers and accessing all that literacy affords.  I miss the daily interaction with elementary students and honestly am a tiny bit jealous that some of you will be in classrooms for your practicum this semester.  Kids make me laugh and they give me hope.

I’m excited about teaching this course, and without sounding too much like a contestant on the Bachelorette, excited about taking this journey with you!