Ms. Jae’l Brinks

Professional Biography

I recently graduated from Calvin University in May of 2021 where I received my Bachelor of the Arts in Elementary Education with minors in Mathematics and Integrated Science. During my time at Calvin, I completed my student teaching in a fourth grade classroom at Ada Christian. I am very excited to be teaching in fourth grade at Hudsonville Christian this coming year and I can’t wait to see what God has planned.

Personal Biography

I was born and raised in Hudsonville where I attended Hudsonville Christian Schools before graduating from Unity Christian High School in 2017. I have loved being part of the Hudsonville community over the years and am so excited to be back at Hudsonville Christian now. My dad is an engineer at Gentex Corporation in Zeeland and my mom substitutes at Unity Christian and runs the HCMS hot lunch. I also have two sisters and one brother. My family attends Ridgewood CRC in Jenison. In my free time I enjoy reading, movies, and spending time outdoors.

Philosophical Biography

I believe that Christian teachers are called to guide and nurture students by helping them explore and understand their faith. I also believe that Christian teachers should aim to help students develop their God given talents to be Disciples of Christ in the world. This encourages me to know the Bible so that I can teach in a distinctively Christian way that integrates Christian values into every subject area. I believe that teachers are called to help students reflect the image of Christ through thought, action, word, and deed. To help students live a self-disciplined, Christ serving life. To do this, I must live and model the love of Christ to my students and other people I interact with in my daily life. This way, my students are taught to be joyful, contributive stewards in God’s kingdom.

I believe that each of my students are unique and created in the image of God. That each student has their own personality, talents, and needs. I believe that each student is important to God and a person worthy of respect and love. While no student is perfect because of the fall and they are constantly struggling between good and evil, through God’s grace, they are able to serve in God’s kingdom. I believe that students learn best when they are exploring, analyzing, and discussing the content. Students don’t have empty minds that are waiting to be filled but each brings his/her own gifts and knowledge that contributes to a classroom’s diversity. Therefore, I work hard to get to know my students so that I can be thoughtful to each student’s learning style by using a variety of teaching strategies.