As an educator, Jody has founded and helped start a number of private schools over the past 40 years. She founded Grace Academy in Dallas in 1974 and helped to start other schools in the metroplex, including Prestonwood Christian Academy. She currently serves as the founder of Legacy Christian Academy, a K-12 school in Frisco, Texas. Additionally, Jody served as a minister to children at Grace Bible Church and taught graduate level courses at Dallas Baptist University.
As an author, Jody has written and/or co-authored 17 books, including: Bonding with Your Teens through Boundaries, Christian Charm Course, Teaching with Heart, Discipline by Design, The Discipline Guide, Cherishing and Challenging Your Children, You and Your ADD Child, Marching to the Beat of a Different Drum, Becoming a Treasured Teacher, and Touching Hearts and Changing Lives.
Jody worked with June Hunt at Hope for the Heart to establish the Hope Biblical Training Program, where she served as the director. Jody also hosted the education channel for a webtv program for two years.
Jody currently works as a school consultant, speaker, author, and radio guest.
As a wife, Jody is happily married to Paul who is in his 40th year of playing in the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. As a mother, Jody is very proud of her three grown children and has co-authored books with two of her children. As a grandmother, she is overjoyed with the blessing of being involved in their lives.
Did You Know? Fun Facts You Probably Didn’t Know About Me…
I was born and raised in MinneSNOWta and am one of seven children in my family! For part of the summers, I lived in a bus with my parents and all seven siblings! When we weren’t living in a bus, we had a farm for a while and I even got to drive a tractor when I was just a young girl! I loved animals so much as a child that I had them sleep with me in my bed! One of my cats had kittens in my bed on Easter morning! (But now I’m allergic to them) As the older sister, I always made my brothers play ‘house’ and ‘school’ with me for as long as I could trick them into staying I love books, and when I was younger I read every book in my school library and then every age-appropriate book in the public library in my small home town…and I STILL love reading: for pleasure, research, curiosity – my family and friends (especially the other book worms) secretly resent how fast I can speed read! I was never a tomboy exactly, but I did love to build forts out in the woods! Maybe my brothers had an influence on me, too! I could have been born a fish and been happy! Growing up, I swam every chance I had in every lake, pond, or pool I could find! Education is my true passion, and so at age 23 I decided to start my first school – and opened it at age 24! I married my husband Paul at age 30 and had the funniest wedding day ever! (You can read all about it in my book Once Upon a Time) In between starting schools, I served as a minister to children and loved every moment of it! I love my husband passionately, and I think our marriage gets better every year! And I am SO proud of his 40 years with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra! Like my husband, I played French horn when I was younger…but no one’s ever paid me to play it…in fact, they might’ve paid me to stop…I also played sax and piano! Being from a big family and loving children like I do, I always wanted to have 12 children, some of my own and some adopted, but I was told I probably could not have any children, which devastated me – so you can just imagine my pure joy when God gave me two biological children and one step-son! Being a mother has more than fulfilled my deepest dreams and desires! I think being a grandma is the coolest thing ever! My family teases me because I don’t go anywhere without my camera! The way I see it, if I don’t have a picture of it, it didn’t happen! Besides my camera, technology is not my friend. My two year old grandson once had to help me with my phone! How’s that for humility! Close, intimate friendships are a treasure to me…but I find Facebook overwhelming!!! I enjoy doing radio programs (more than tv ) I enjoy being alone! I especially love to garden and have lots of gardens of all kinds. My morning quiet time with the Lord is the anchor for my day. My ‘quiet chair’ faces the rose gardens. Holidays are the best and I love everything about them: decorating, having family over, cooking, and baking! I color coordinate everything, and lists that have alliteration are my favorite kind of poetry I had fun making this list and generally enjoy just being silly sometimes!
