Henrico’s Top Teachers – Charlotte Jenkins, Our Lady of Lourdes School, social studies and language arts

Fourth grade social studies and language arts teacher Charlotte Jenkins always imagined herself as a teacher – just never in those subjects.

“Growing up, I always hated reading and I hated history,” Jenkins said. “That was because until high school I never had a teacher that told it to me like I was living it.”

Following her senior year of high school, Jenkins decided that she wanted to do exactly that with her future students.

This unexpected path has brought Jenkins full circle, right back to her own alma mater, Our Lady of Lourdes school in Henrico, where she has been connecting with students for the past four years.

Our Lady of Lourdes, a private catholic school offering kindergarten through eighth grade, serves students from multiple surrounding counties as well as students from various religious backgrounds. The school has given her the unique ability to bond with students, Jenkins said, and follow them through their progression in the school.

When a former student approached her and wished her a happy birthday without being reminded, Jenkins wasn’t happy because he thought of her. Instead, it showed her that “he felt like we had a community,” something that she said makes her school so special.

This is not something out of the norm for Jenkins. In fact, she said that she often gets invited to her student’s’ birthday parties. She and her students view each other as family, she said.

“They want me to come to their recitals and performances and it's so fun,” Jenkins said. “It's really special when you can do that.”

Involvement in life outside of school is not one- sided – she is not afraid to let her students into her personal life.

“You can find her at Lourdes sports events and spirit nights and using her planning time to find joy in watching her kids do what interests them in resource classes,” one nominator wrote. “She even included her students in her engagement excitement and on her wedding day!”

Including students in her life isn’t the only exceptional thing that she does.

“A student recently was going through a tough time and dealing with a lot of things,” another nominator wrote. “His grades were slipping. This was a past student of hers. She was made aware of the situation and took the time to stay after class and help him study and advocate for him while in school to ensure he was doing his best while going through this tough time”

Students are not family just when they are in her classroom – Jenkins said that she will care for each of her students forever.