KANAWHA CITY, W.Va. — One of the 50 Kanawha County teachers who was selected for a free master’s degree program from West Virginia University says furthering her education will help address student learning.
Kanawha City Elementary School resource teacher Nicole Jenny said in the past six years she’s been a teacher she’s seen a drastic change in literacy outcomes for students in grades K-5 since the COVID pandemic.
“Just being at school and being around people that are reading and being around the books, some of these children in their homes are not getting that, so I definitely think since the pandemic it’s gotten worse on the amount of students who aren’t able to read,” Jenny told MetroNews Monday.
WVU President Gordon Gee was at South Charleston High School Friday to recognize Jenny and the 49 other teachers that were selected to receive the master’s degree in Literacy Education with a Reading Specialist certification.
The online program will be paid in full for each teacher by Kanawha County Schools as part of the county’s dedication to furthering literacy education post-COVID. Jenny said that will help her financially.
“I’m just very grateful that they are offering this opportunity. It’s going to be great for my students but it’s also going to be great for me as well. I’m a single mom so it helps,” she said.
The teachers who were selected were from all grade levels, but mainly K-5 teachers. Special education teachers were also included. Jenny said she used to be a special ed teacher but noticed more reading comprehension challenges once she transferred to a resource teacher observing students in all grades.
“I was kind of in my own world in special ed and now that I’m going into other classrooms and now that I’m pulling kids into my room, it was baffling to me that so many students are unable read,” she said.
Teachers who were selected for the program had to fill out an application with letters of recommendation from supervisors, as well as writing an essay explaining why they wanted to do the cohort.
Jenny is hoping that her master’s degree will not only provide her with a pay increase, but also enhance her work to become a more effective teacher.
“As a teacher, yes I took reading classes, but were they specific enough? No. I need to learn more information myself to be able to teach my students properly in a way that is going to be meaningful and lasting to them,” she said.
The teachers begin online classes next month with expected completion date of May 2026.