{"id":8843,"date":"2026-03-04T15:00:14","date_gmt":"2026-03-04T20:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.montoursville.k12.pa.us\/thearrowhead\/?p=8843"},"modified":"2026-03-24T13:59:43","modified_gmt":"2026-03-24T18:59:43","slug":"more-than-a-substitute-mr-wagers-builds-connection-in-the-classroom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.montoursville.k12.pa.us\/thearrowhead\/2026\/03\/04\/more-than-a-substitute-mr-wagers-builds-connection-in-the-classroom\/","title":{"rendered":"More than a substitute: Mr. Wagers builds connection in the classroom"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Mrs. Jennifer Hopkins began her maternity leave earlier this school year, students in her class expected a temporary adjustment. What they didn\u2019t expect was how quickly long-term substitute Mr. Jacob\u00a0<\/strong>Wagers would build relationships, maintain classroom structure and create an engaging atmosphere of his own.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rather than stepping in as just a placeholder, Wagers said building trust was his first priority.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe best way I\u2019ve done that is by getting to know students personally more than just academically or by a grade,\u201d Wagers said, \u201cGetting to know what they like to do and their interests builds that connection. Then they buy into me, and I buy into them.\u201d <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Students say that approach has made difficult concepts easier to understand. \"\"<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
Mr. Wagers teaches an Environmental Science lesson while filling in for Mrs. Jennifer Hopkins during her maternity leave. Students say he focuses on slowing down instruction and making sure everyone understands the material.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cHe slows everything down and actually talks about things. Even when it\u2019s not on the notes slide, he explains it and makes sure we understand it better,\u201d said junior Catherine Hittle.<\/span><\/p>\n

“He actually explains what\u2019s going on, and he goes slow. He gives us examples, and we work on worksheets while we\u2019re learning about it,\u201d said junior Zach Neil.<\/span><\/p>\n

Beyond academics, students say the classroom atmosphere stands out.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe atmosphere. He tries to connect with you as a person based on what you like, while still implementing Environmental Science,\u201d said Neil when he explained what he enjoyed most about the class.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hittle said the wind and air systems unit was her favorite. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI liked the wind unit. \u201cHe gave a lot of diagrams and very in-depth details and descriptions of the concepts,\u201d said Hittle.<\/span><\/p>\n

Junior Cole Snyder said Wagers\u2019 effort to build comfort in the classroom stood out immediately.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen he first came in, he didn\u2019t really know any of us yet, but he still made a point to try to connect and get to know us. So we would all feel more comfortable in the class and work on our lessons better,\u201d said Synder.<\/span><\/p>\n

Snyder also highlighted a lesson about Earth\u2019s rotation as a memorable experience.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
Mr. Wagers works with students during class as they complete notes and practice problems. He says building personal connections helps students feel more comfortable in the classroom.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI really liked the lesson we did about the Earth\u2019s rotation around the sun and how the north is always pointing the same direction. I was the main subject in that one,\u201d said Synder.<\/span><\/p>\n

While bringing his own energy to the classroom, Wagers said he made a conscious effort to continue the routines Mrs. Hopkins established.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI look at the way the permanent teacher has set up the room and the routines students are already in. I keep going with that so there aren\u2019t too many differences, and then I build off of it,\u201d said Wagers.<\/span><\/p>\n

For Wagers, one of the most rewarding aspects of the role is the opportunity to work with students from different backgrounds and with different goals.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI love teaching the content. But I also love hearing about students\u2019 interests and where they want to go in life. It\u2019s rewarding to get to be even a small piece of that,\u201d said Wagers.<\/span><\/p>\n

His goals for the remainder of the school year extend beyond science concepts.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI want to continue making engaging lessons where students learn beyond just me lecturing. Real-world skills like presenting and communication transferable skills they can take beyond the classroom,\u201d said Wagers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the most important lessons I\u2019ve learned is having confidence. Sometimes you deal with impostor syndrome, but you have to trust that you\u2019re doing your best. Good enough is good enough. You can\u2019t be a perfectionist all the time,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Even lighthearted moments have defined his time in the classroom. Wagers recalled a prank in which students hid a walkie-talkie in a pencil cup, repeatedly triggering a ringing noise that left him searching for a malfunctioning phone.<\/span><\/p>\n

Students say that willingness to laugh, and genuine care for students, is what makes him more than just a substitute.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe doesn\u2019t just care about teaching. He actually cares about his students and tries to connect with them on a personal level,\u201d said Snyder.<\/span><\/p>\n

While Mrs. Hopkins is expected to return after her maternity leave, students say Mr. Wagers\u2019 impact has already been lasting, proving that connection matters just as much as content.<\/span><\/p>\n

Feature Photo (at top): Mr. Wagers poses for a photo in his Environmental Science classroom. Students say his effort to connect with them personally has made the transition of having a new teacher smooth and positive.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When Mrs. Jennifer Hopkins began her maternity leave earlier this school year, students in her class expected a temporary adjustment. What they didn\u2019t expect was…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":834,"featured_media":8908,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_cbd_carousel_blocks":"[]","footnotes":"","_expiration-date-status":"saved","_expiration-date":1788760860,"_expiration-date-type":"draft","_expiration-date-categories":[],"_expiration-date-options":{"expireType":"draft","category":false,"categoryTaxonomy":"","enabled":true,"id":8843}},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montoursville.k12.pa.us\/thearrowhead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8843"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montoursville.k12.pa.us\/thearrowhead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montoursville.k12.pa.us\/thearrowhead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montoursville.k12.pa.us\/thearrowhead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/834"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montoursville.k12.pa.us\/thearrowhead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8843"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.montoursville.k12.pa.us\/thearrowhead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8843\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8939,"href":"https:\/\/www.montoursville.k12.pa.us\/thearrowhead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8843\/revisions\/8939"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montoursville.k12.pa.us\/thearrowhead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8908"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montoursville.k12.pa.us\/thearrowhead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8843"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montoursville.k12.pa.us\/thearrowhead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8843"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montoursville.k12.pa.us\/thearrowhead\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8843"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}