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Kiely’s Story: The Power of Being “Trendy” in the Classroom

Stories & Spotlights
Kiely’s Story: The Power of Being “Trendy” in the Classroom

Kiely Tanner has been teaching for the past 36 years. Three years ago, she decided she wanted a change, not a career change, but to transition from being an in-person teacher to a virtual one.  

When Kiely started looking for virtual opportunities, she saw that the Missouri Virtual Academy (MOVA) had an opening for a substitute teacher position. Kiely applied and was placed in a fifth-grade classroom. After substituting for the duration of her contract, she applied for a full-time position with MOVA and began teaching second grade.  

Over the last three years, Kiely has thrived in a virtual environment. Ensuring students stay engaged is something Kiely exceeds in. She is always looking for ways to create something new to keep her students entertained and interested.  

Like many second graders, Kiely’s students love to play Roblox, an immersive gaming platform that allows users to create their own games, worlds, and avatars. Kiely decided to lean into the popularity of this and explore how she could make her own version to use in the classroom. With a little assistance, Kiely created a game that completely won over her students.  

“Hedgie’s IXL Obby Quest” (named after the classroom’s beloved, and very real, class pet hedgehog, Hedgie) encourages students to master new skills. The game allows students to create avatars and play mini games that support learning at their own pace. Students can move up levels with completed games, and each level introduces something new for students to learn. This game allows Kiely to continue to meet her students where they are and encourage them to be the best they can be.  

Hedgie’s influence on Kiely’s second grade classroom spreads beyond the walls of the game. Kiely found that incorporating the beloved in-person classroom tradition of having a class pet was something she could also introduce to her virtual classroom. Hedgie became the mascot of the Roblox-style game, Kiely’s classroom, and a fan-favorite of the whole school. The hedgehog can be found lounging on screen during lessons, dressing up with Kiely for theme days, and being incorporated into classroom materials.  

Through virtual teaching, Kiely can get to know her students better, support them when they need extra attention, and keep her classroom fun by incorporating things they are interested in outside of the classroom.  

Keeping students engaged and excited to learn is Kiely’s specialty. She plans to continue creating new ways to teach that match her students’ interests and encourages them to be the best version of themselves. 

If this seems like an environment your student would thrive in, start your application! 

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