Redefining “Normal” in Class

Picture a “normal” classroom and you probably envision a bunch of chairs and desks with a teacher in the front of the room teaching the course material. However, Virtual Lab instructor Penny Loughry is setting a new image in students’ eyes as to what a classroom can be.

Loughry grew up right around the corner from Fluvanna in Louisa and attended school in Louisa so she knows the area well. She then attended Piedmont Virginia Community College (PVCC), and Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), and is currently enrolled at Old Dominion University (ODU). “I am currently studying/majoring in Special Education,” Loughry added.

If she looks familiar, it is because this is Loughry’s second year at Fluvanna. Last year she was a long-term substitute. Having wanted to be a teacher ever since she was a little girl, she jumped at the chance to join the school full-time in an unusual teaching position.

“Being the Virtual Lab mentor means that I monitor the students’ progress and motivate them to be the best that they can be. I have students in Blue Ridge Virtual Governors’ School (BRVGS), Virtual Virginia (VVA), and APEX learning that I help,” Loughry said.

“The key to taking an online class is learning to pace yourself and hold yourself accountable for your actions. A virtual class can teach you that you can succeed as much as YOU want to! And I can help students by showing them that we are in this together, and I am here to guide and support them,” Loughry said when asked what the key was to taking an online class.

Outside of school, Loughry said she enjoys “quilting, making crafts with my cricut, and reading.”
“My favorite book is The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. My favorite TV show right now is Stranger Things, and as far as movies, I love anything Marvel or horror-related,” she said.