Jenny Geilfuss, Health Education Teacher, Lake Elkhorn Middle School

May 26th, 2016

In her second year teaching Health Education at Lake Elkhorn Middle School, Jenny Geilfuss is already an HCPSS model teacher for health instruction. Previously, Geilfuss taught fitness and environmental science related subjects in such settings as an island with a population of two and a school system’s outdoor school. She continues to explore incorporating the varied strategies she’s picked up along the way into the traditional classroom while seeking experiences to further round out her skills as an educator.

Geilfuss graduated with an athletic training bachelor’s degree but knew early on she wanted to teach. So after serving as the head athletic trainer and special education paraprofessional in a Connecticut high school, she returned to her native Maryland to participate in the Archdiocese of Baltimore/Notre Dame of Maryland University program, Operation TEACH. During the program, she worked as a physical education teacher while earning her Master of Arts in Teaching. From there she became an environmental educator at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) and the Carroll County Public Schools. During her time with CBF, Geilfuss lived on two of the most remote and wildest islands in the Chesapeake Bay to lead school groups on multi-day field trips.

At Lake Elkhorn, Geilfuss has enjoyed the challenge of teaching in a traditional classroom and keeps busy teaching health to 500 students in all grade levels throughout the year. The HCPSS Health Education curriculum promotes behaviors for safe, healthy living; builds resource literacy skills; develops effective communication skills supporting healthy relationships; and encourages goal-setting and decision-making skills related to personal, family and community health.

As Geilfuss has settled in, she’s grateful for the amount of support she’s received at the HCPSS, especially from the Health Education curriculum office. HCPSS Coordinator of Health and Physical Education Linda Rangos said, “In some ways Jenny came in as a first year teacher with a new curriculum and in a new environment. Her growth has been phenomenal. She’s a natural. I love watching her teach. She’s magical and makes it look easy. She takes risks, trying new things, and maximizes on her PE and science background.” Geilfuss has gone above and beyond to develop professionally as a Health Education teacher. Geilfuss said that by teaching at Lake Elkhorn, “I’ve learned to look at the person behind the work and get a sense of where they’re coming from and what they need. At this school, there’s a big continuum of student needs and backgrounds.” She’s taken on leadership roles by hosting new health educators to observe and reflect on classroom instruction, and by creating Health Education content for the Canvas curriculum team. She is also applying for National Board Certification. Overall, Geilfuss said her many teaching experiences have “given me a nice background and a broad foundation to teach from. I better relate to the students through my experiences, and I like that in the classroom I can incorporate more movement or hands-on activities.” Continuously trying out non-traditional strategies, she’d ultimately like to experiment with teaching her students without desks.“Jenny is the whole package,” Health Education Instructional Facilitator Tempe Beall said. “She has great ideas, amazing relationships with students and tries new instructional strategies all the time. She is so willing to learn and to share what she has learned. She wants to change things by making a difference.”

Geilfuss strongly values personal health, so she said, “I like bringing new information to the students and seeing them make connections to their life outside of school.” Geilfuss describes herself as generally a healthy eater who regularly exercises because both “are really helpful for mental health, besides physical health. There’s a social component, too. Mainly, a good diet and exercise help reduce stress and make me feel better.”Geilfuss’ adventurous nature has kept her active, and often outside. This spring she thoroughly enjoyed coaching JV softball at Hammond High School. Before joining the HCPSS, some non-teaching positions she’s held include rehabbing housing at the Christian Appalachian Project in Kentucky as an AmeriCorps member and working as the lead climbing instructor at Earth Treks in Columbia. Geilfuss connects teaching with her active lifestyle, saying “I think that with teaching you’re always learning and a big part of being active is continuing to be a learner.”