LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Elizabeth Jorgensen was nominated by an anonymous member of the community who submitted stories from two students:

"We met in early September. The morning brought a sour, nervous stomach and an outfit mottled with diluted droplets of coffee. My angry hair sought vengeance after struggling through the heat of a flat iron. It was the makings of a disheveled, moody teenager—an antagonist with an obese backpack strapped to her body. It was the first hour of the first day of my last year at Arrowhead High School. 

To begin, know that getting students’ attention before the sun rises isn’t easy. It is like trying to get a fat-bellied tortoise’s attention; the teacher stands meters away waving a piece of fresh kale. They are stuffed with stimuli, packed with caffeine, conversations, and first-day jitters. These tortoises want to sleep, rest, and digest. The last thing on their minds is writing creatively. 

No matter, Elizabeth Jorgensen of Arrowhead High School managed to inspire me, the disheveled, moody teenager. At that time, I didn’t know what was going to happen over the course of the semester in Creative Writing. 

I entered the classroom looking for an English credit, yet I left craving more. Writing was the kale, and I was an emaciated tortoise–determined, trained, and excited. Since then, I have began an Arrowhead Independent Study titled Writing for Authentic Purposes. Ms. Jorgensen took her time to create the class, mold it to my schedule, and develop a plan for another semester of writing. Secondly, Ms. Jorgensen introduced me to the Arrowhead Literary Magazine. Now, I am one of its editors. Overall, she is passionate, supportive and helps me achieve the goals I set for myself.

Ms. Jorgensen devotes her time to language arts. She is a published journalist, yet her dedication and passion does not stop there. She writes a blog for Marquette University, and she has presented for the National Council of Teachers of English. Currently, she is working on a novel of her own. It is due in October from Meyer & Meyer Sport. As her student, I can also speak on behalf of her utter devotion to her work. Time and time again, she uses her enthusiasm to inspire students—to inspire me. 

Ms. Jorgensen is supportive. She provides straightforward feedback and encourages ideas. For example, Ms. Jorgensen told students to pursue ideas they would have otherwise left alone. 'Just because an idea is peculiar or foreign does not mean it’s unworthy of a story,' she said. 

On many occasions, I think back to Ms. Jorgensen’s first hour Creative Writing class. It is where she supported each student’s stories and pushed students towards purely creative writing. As a result, Ms. Jorgensen single handedly tore down the rules and regulations of bland and distasteful writing. She gave students opportunities to create artwork that went beyond the laws of systematic, scientific articles and mathematical equations. Ms. Jorgensen showed each student the capabilities of their own unique writing styles. She gently guided us to our own individual voices.

Know that getting students’ attention before the sun rises isn’t easy. It’s like trying to get a fat-bellied tortoise’s attention. But Elizabeth Jorgensen managed to do that—and so much more."

***

"Throughout high school, English has not been a class I have enjoyed. When the time came for English, I would procrastinate going to class. 

Then came the first day of my senior year. I walked into first hour (according to my printed-off schedule): Creative Writing with Ms. Jorgensen. When I walked in, I saw Ms. Jorgensen at her desk talking to a student with a smile. As the reassuring feeling of a good year managed to slide into my head, it was blown away by a welcome I don't think I'll ever forget: 'Hi there!' This excited me to come in and see what this class was about.

I felt so fortunate to have received the best traits in a teacher in her--calm, reassuring, inviting, energetic, joyful, and outgoing. Soon after, I discovered she was pretty quirky, which added to my good feeling of having a fun time in class. 

After the first class, I felt like I knew so much about her--Ms. Jorgensen has a sister who is a world-champion triathlon competitor, and she's published four books! Yes, four! Here they are:

• Gwen Jorgensen: USA's First Olympic Gold Medal Triathlete (Meyer & Meyer Sport)
• Sijo: Korea's Poetry Form (Parkyoung)
• Hacking Student Learning Habits (Times 10 Publications)
• Go: Gwen, Go: A Family's Journey to Olympic Gold (Meyer & Meyer Sport)

Two weeks into school, I got food poisoning; therefore, I missed the second Friday. I felt like a hundred pounds were crushing my stomach as I thought about how much homework I had to make up from that sick day. The following Monday, I received a list of things from Ms. J. The list was about what was done when I was gone from class. In Creative Writing, the class wrote haikus, created accounts on a website, and finished another writing piece. 

Normally at this point, I would fall off track and begin getting confused about what I need to get done. But to my surprise, when I asked a question about something I missed, I got the response, 'How about you come in during study hall, and I'll get you all caught up?' I was in awe that a teacher who had just met me would give up her time to help me feel caught up again.

Ms. J met with me during the seventh-hour study hall. I made the mistake of forgetting how energetic she was, and of course, she reminded me by walking in and saying, 'Hi!' She was able to get me all caught up in under 10 minutes. Ms. Jorgensen always has the motivation to get things done. She goes above and beyond trying to get students involved and be positive. Ms. Jorgensen has never failed to respond to my emails, which shows that she is there to help when students need it. 

Ms. J is devoted, inspiring, and upbeat. She devoted time to make sure I stay on track in class, inspired me to bring positive energy to school and always actively participate, and is most definitely upbeat with the way she teaches our class."