Staff Spotlight: Marj Hendricks Still Encouraging Learning After 30 Years
This post is part of the Lynden Schools Staff Spotlight series
Marj Hendricks has proven a stalwart teacher in Lynden Schools with over 30 years of service in the district. But she’s also ready for new challenges and fresh opportunities to encourage and support learning across the community.
The Role
Hendricks may be most well-known for teaching Lynden fifth graders for 25 years. Nowadays, though, she serves as a student learning plan coordinator with the Home Connect program at Lynden Academy, working weekly with about 50 K-12 students and their families to hear about and document “all the great things they are learning.”
“One reason that I love my work is because of the connections that I get to make with students and families,” she says. “After three years of doing this job, I’m so thankful for the relationships that have formed with Home Connect families enrolled in Lynden Academy, our district’s parent partnership program. Each week I’m hearing about all the great learning that is taking place, and I love the opportunity to encourage and offer ideas to families as they teach their children. I feel very supported by Lynden Academy as we partner to support our families.”
Hendricks remains connected with the staff throughout the district as she leads professional development opportunities, work that brings her “great joy” and allows her to explore her passion for math and science instruction. It all adds up to keep her “fired up and youthful.”
The two main roles of Hendricks’ professional career have also intertwined into her personal life. “After all these years of teaching, I am so humbled when I encounter former students and hear of their fond memories of fifth and sixth grades in my classroom,” she says.
Getting to Know Marj
Outside of education, Hendricks is found in her garden. “I absolutely love growing vegetables, fruit and flowers,” she says, “and it is such fun to share the bounty with others. I am continually learning new and better ways to garden and be a good steward of our resources.”
