Locals
Dr. James Hendricks: Veteran Educator Makes a Place
for Every Child in the Classroom - Suzan Travis-Robyns
As a child, James
Hendricks marched to the beat of his own drummer. His in-terests were
atypical even as a four-year-old. He loved opera, classical music
and reading.
That experience imbued him with a deep sensitivity to
children with different interests and helped him develop educational
strategies that make all children feel valued. He grew up to become
an educator committed to what he calls "just and inclusive classrooms."
Hendricks has headed Northern Michigan University's School
of Education for twenty-one years, the second-longest tenure in that
office in Northern's history. He also serves as associate dean in
the College of Behavioral Science, Human Services and Education.
Hendricks' parents were not able to attend college because
of the Great Depression. He grew up in Indiana with a brother who
was thirteen months older. The two brothers could not have been more
different but they loved each other fiercely.
Gerald was good with his hands and loved the out-of-doors.
Jim loved school. He preferred to read during recess while the other
children took part in rough-and-tumble physical games.
From their father, the brothers learned the value of savings.
By the time the two young men were ready for college, Jim had saved
$3,500 and his older brother had saved $5,000.
Hendricks graduated from Indiana University in 1955. He
was offered a full-time position at the bank where he worked during
summer breaks.
His father urged him to take it. Instead, Hendricks got
a job teaching elementary school.
"My father had trouble understanding why I would
want to go to college," Hendricks said. "Our differences
were respected differences. I had strong ideas about what I was going
to do with my life."
At the time, suburban schools were bursting at the seams
all over the country. Hendricks taught in a brand-new school in Southport,
Indiana, but supplies were limited and there was no library.
He played classical music in the morning as his students
arrived and he checked out books for them at the public library.
"The way I approached school was to vigorously engage
the children. I wanted most of all for them to love learning,"
he said. "The experience of those children and my own growing
up helped me to be sensitive to things that can be done that alienate
some children. It helped me to be more inclusive in a way that helps
all children find a happiness in being in that classroom."
Hendricks taught at the elementary level for three years.
He took one year off to study with celebrated historian Daniel Boorstin
at the University of Chicago. Hendricks' decision to leave elementary
teaching was a difficult one. He loved teaching but had a strong need
to further his own education.
He earned his master's and doctorate degrees from Indiana
University in 1962 and 1968. He taught in Northern's education department
for two years. He and his wife Sandra then moved to Oregon for two
years, where he helped Portland State University set up their educational
doctoral program.
Then it was back to Northern where he rejoined the faculty.
When Elmer Schacht, then head of the education department, called
to offer him a job, Hendricks' wife Sandra accepted for him, over
the phone.
Hendricks said that he and Sandra delighted in the community
they found here—a community greatly impacted by her voluntarism.
Sandra was a devoted mother to the couple's three children.
As their children grew, she became a full-time community volunteer.
Sandra's mother died when she was five. While in high
school, she worked after school and on Saturdays. She continued working
until her marriage in 1963. Being a stay-at-home mother and a full-time
volunteer was a dream come true for Sandra. Sandra died in 1998.
In the years before her death, Sandra loved to spend time
baking brownies and conversing with cancer patients at Beacon House
in Marquette. She worked hard to support Peter White Public Library.
She loved Christmas and was a founder of the Alternative Gifts Fair
benefiting Third World artists. The event takes place each December
at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Marquette.
"Sandra was my foundation," Hendricks said.
"She will always mean the world to me."
Hendricks taught evening education classes throughout
the Upper Peninsula during his tenure as a professor. Driving home
late at night from far-flung locations around the region gave him
time to reflect on the courage of his students and their unlimited
potential.
Northern's president Dr. Judi Bailey said that Hendricks'
deep commitment to students accounts for his extraordinary career.
"Jim's absolute dedication to students and his role
in developing the most student-centered education program in the state
have made him a legend among Upper Peninsula educators," she
said.
Today, Hendricks is a youthful sixty-five (on February
9). He retains his boyish enthusiasm for learning theory and his passionate
insistence that Northern's faculty model excellence in teaching. He
is at his best when interacting with children. Hendricks' life is
centered on the humility and simplicity that is part of his Quaker/Mennonite
heritage.
During his tenure, Northern's education department has
elevated admission standards for students and deepened the curriculum.
He was instrumental in having students go out into the classroom from
the beginning of their careers. Student teachers learn their craft
from master teachers and K-12 students in classrooms throughout Marquette
County, which exposes them to diverse school cultures. This first-hand
experience is complemented by a focus on educational research.
Hendricks is especially proud of the regenerative nature
of Northern's school of education, where veteran K-12 teachers join
the university's faculty to assist student teachers.
Caring about students is at the very core of education,
Hendricks said. "Good teachers demonstrate care by how they attend
when one child has hurt another. The way they have them apologize
without embarrassing the child," he said. "They demonstrate
care by the way they attend the silence of some children. They intervene
and find ways for children who are not succeeding to succeed in other
forums. Good teaching honors the diversity of learners and the uniqueness
of each classroom and each teacher," he said.
—Suzan Travis-Robyns
