About Us
Jennifer Hair and Coach Shawn Hair
Welcome to the Connected Classroom! We provide affordable, self-paced graduate education credit and professional development courses for busy teachers. Created by teachers for teachers, the Connected Classroom offers educators in pre-kindergarten, elementary, middle and high school with meaningful online courses to further their education.
Founders Jennifer Hair and Shawn Hair have a combined 50 years of experience working in the classroom and building relationships with students, their families, the community and other dedicated educators. They created the Connected Classroom courses to give ambitious teachers the freedom and confidence to pursue a higher education, while continuing their passion in the classroom.
Instructors
JENNIFER HAIR
Jennifer Hair, M.A., is an experienced business and visual arts teacher with over 18 years of experience in the secondary classroom. She is a passionate teacher educator who loves sharing her love of personal and professional development, students and integrating technology in real-world learning situations. She specializes in using social media for professional development, web technologies, and everything Adobe Creative Suite.
LEAH HUNTLEY
Leah Huntley is a veteran teacher with 25 years of classroom experience in the Kansas City area. She has taught middle school social studies, English as a Second Language, first grade, and second grade, but has devoted most of her career to the kindergarten classroom. Leah earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from The University of Kansas and has completed 60+ hours of continuing education coursework. She loves working with young learners and values the relationships she builds with her students each year. In her free time, Leah enjoys spending time with her husband and two teenage sons. Leah knows how busy life is for teachers and is looking forward to helping you reach your goals of completing meaningful graduate coursework in a flexible, work-at-your-own pace format.
JILL CALHOUN
Jill Calhoun has been a business and computer teacher since 2005 in Olathe, Kansas. She earned her Bachelor’s degree at the University of Missouri and Master’s in Education at Avila University. She is married and has one son. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, reading and spending time with family and friends
Andy Chapple
Andy Chapple has been the director of bands at a middle school in Olathe, KS since 2005. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Kansas (Go Jayhawks!) in Music Education and his master’s degree in Technology Enhanced Teaching from MidAmerica Nazarene University.He has received numerous certifications from many companies including Microsoft Education, Flipgrid, and Apple. He is an avid lover of technology and teaching, he was a lead member of the technology team during the roll out of a 1:1 iPad Initiative. Andy is married to Nicole, another band director, and they have two daughters who keep them both busy.
Brendan "BJ" Hair
Education runs in the B.J.Hair's family. Both parents, two sisters in law, a brother and several more extended family are all educators. B.J. Hair has been teaching and coaching for 30 years. He has taught and coached at every level of education from kindergarten to higher education. He has taught science, health and physical education as well as coached basketball, football, tennis, and track. B.J. is currently the physical education teacher at Highlands Elementary in the Shawnee Mission School District (which is the Kansas City metro area). B.J. believes that education is the key to a better society and the key to quality education is healthy relationships.
BRITNI JARVIS
Britni Jarvis is an Instructional Coach for a virtual K-12 school in the Olathe School District in Olathe, KS. Prior to coaching, she spent many years teaching business and computer classes at Olathe Northwest and Olathe South High School. Britni brings a wealth of experience teaching virtually at both the high school and college levels. Additionally, Britni teaches pre-service educators and graduate-level courses to teachers around the country. Her ability to connect with students and build relationships along with her virtual experience allows for a unique perspective in her classes. Britni and her husband, Sean, have three daughters ages 11, 9, and 5. In addition to her teaching gig, Britni spends her evenings as a full-time chauffeur for her three daughters and their friends. In her very spare free time, she helps her husband run their family business, enjoys coaching her daughter's basketball teams, and drinks way too much coffee.
April CREMER
April Cremer has been teaching elementary students for 14 years. In 2020, she embraced her love of technology and the ever-changing online environment while teaching fifth grade in Shawnee Mission School District’s online platform. She runs the Facebook group “Ask April,” where she shares advice for and encourages collaboration between teachers. She enjoys traveling, reading, photography, and gardening. She holds a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from the University of Kansas.
Lin Mohr
Lin Mohr is an instructional coach and technology teacher at Denver Public Schools with 14 years of full-time teaching experience. In her professional career, she has taught many different grades and subjects across K-12 in both traditional schools and virtual settings. Lin was awarded “ Distinguished Teacher” in Denver Public Schools for her exemplary instructional practices and culturally responsive teaching strategies and her amazing work around equity in her community. Currently, Lin serves as Senior Team Lead for visual and performance art department at Denver North High School where she teaches half day and spends the rest of the day coaching, mentoring and conducting annual evaluations for 9 teachers. Lin is also a passionate PD specialist who loves sharing her knowledge of learning design by holding annual yearlong professional development for her peers. Lin has a master degree in learning and design technology from University of Colorado and is pursuing a doctoral degree in Educational Leadership with a five-year commitment. In her down time, she is an avid chef and a certified master gardener with her own greenhouse and back yard garden where she grows vegetables and flowers all year round in the mile high city.
Tamara Sinkler
Tamara Sinkler has a Master of Science in Education from The University of Kansas and a Master of Science in Library Media from Pittsburgh University. Her background is high school English, but she currently teaches Childhood Development and runs the Teacher Education at one of the Shawnee Mission High Schools. She has also designed and developed continuing education courses for several universities involving special education, reading in the content area, young adult and children’s literature, measuring outcomes, and Social Emotional Learning. She enjoys reading, friends and family, and plenty of time with her three children.
Mercedes Rasmussen
Mercedes Rasmussen, M.A, M.Ed., is a business teacher and DECA sponsor with 25 years of experience in the secondary classroom and 2 years of experience as an instructor at the University level in the area of Teacher Education. She believes in the power of building strong relationships with students and building a warm and welcoming classroom environment. In her free time Mercedes enjoys spending time with her husband and 2 sons. She is passionate about helping teachers enhance and build curriculum that engages students and helps to build excitement and confidence.
Welcome to the Connected Classroom! We provide affordable, self-paced graduate education credit and professional development courses for busy teachers. Created by teachers for teachers, the Connected Classroom offers educators in pre-kindergarten, elementary, middle and high school with meaningful online courses to further their education.
Founders Jennifer Hair and Shawn Hair have a combined 50 years of experience working in the classroom and building relationships with students, their families, the community and other dedicated educators. They created the Connected Classroom courses to give ambitious teachers the freedom and confidence to pursue a higher education, while continuing their passion in the classroom.
Instructors
JENNIFER HAIR
Jennifer Hair, M.A., is an experienced business and visual arts teacher with over 18 years of experience in the secondary classroom. She is a passionate teacher educator who loves sharing her love of personal and professional development, students and integrating technology in real-world learning situations. She specializes in using social media for professional development, web technologies, and everything Adobe Creative Suite.
LEAH HUNTLEY
Leah Huntley is a veteran teacher with 25 years of classroom experience in the Kansas City area. She has taught middle school social studies, English as a Second Language, first grade, and second grade, but has devoted most of her career to the kindergarten classroom. Leah earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from The University of Kansas and has completed 60+ hours of continuing education coursework. She loves working with young learners and values the relationships she builds with her students each year. In her free time, Leah enjoys spending time with her husband and two teenage sons. Leah knows how busy life is for teachers and is looking forward to helping you reach your goals of completing meaningful graduate coursework in a flexible, work-at-your-own pace format.
JILL CALHOUN
Jill Calhoun has been a business and computer teacher since 2005 in Olathe, Kansas. She earned her Bachelor’s degree at the University of Missouri and Master’s in Education at Avila University. She is married and has one son. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, reading and spending time with family and friends
Andy Chapple
Andy Chapple has been the director of bands at a middle school in Olathe, KS since 2005. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Kansas (Go Jayhawks!) in Music Education and his master’s degree in Technology Enhanced Teaching from MidAmerica Nazarene University.He has received numerous certifications from many companies including Microsoft Education, Flipgrid, and Apple. He is an avid lover of technology and teaching, he was a lead member of the technology team during the roll out of a 1:1 iPad Initiative. Andy is married to Nicole, another band director, and they have two daughters who keep them both busy.
Brendan "BJ" Hair
Education runs in the B.J.Hair's family. Both parents, two sisters in law, a brother and several more extended family are all educators. B.J. Hair has been teaching and coaching for 30 years. He has taught and coached at every level of education from kindergarten to higher education. He has taught science, health and physical education as well as coached basketball, football, tennis, and track. B.J. is currently the physical education teacher at Highlands Elementary in the Shawnee Mission School District (which is the Kansas City metro area). B.J. believes that education is the key to a better society and the key to quality education is healthy relationships.
BRITNI JARVIS
Britni Jarvis is an Instructional Coach for a virtual K-12 school in the Olathe School District in Olathe, KS. Prior to coaching, she spent many years teaching business and computer classes at Olathe Northwest and Olathe South High School. Britni brings a wealth of experience teaching virtually at both the high school and college levels. Additionally, Britni teaches pre-service educators and graduate-level courses to teachers around the country. Her ability to connect with students and build relationships along with her virtual experience allows for a unique perspective in her classes. Britni and her husband, Sean, have three daughters ages 11, 9, and 5. In addition to her teaching gig, Britni spends her evenings as a full-time chauffeur for her three daughters and their friends. In her very spare free time, she helps her husband run their family business, enjoys coaching her daughter's basketball teams, and drinks way too much coffee.
April CREMER
April Cremer has been teaching elementary students for 14 years. In 2020, she embraced her love of technology and the ever-changing online environment while teaching fifth grade in Shawnee Mission School District’s online platform. She runs the Facebook group “Ask April,” where she shares advice for and encourages collaboration between teachers. She enjoys traveling, reading, photography, and gardening. She holds a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from the University of Kansas.
Lin Mohr
Lin Mohr is an instructional coach and technology teacher at Denver Public Schools with 14 years of full-time teaching experience. In her professional career, she has taught many different grades and subjects across K-12 in both traditional schools and virtual settings. Lin was awarded “ Distinguished Teacher” in Denver Public Schools for her exemplary instructional practices and culturally responsive teaching strategies and her amazing work around equity in her community. Currently, Lin serves as Senior Team Lead for visual and performance art department at Denver North High School where she teaches half day and spends the rest of the day coaching, mentoring and conducting annual evaluations for 9 teachers. Lin is also a passionate PD specialist who loves sharing her knowledge of learning design by holding annual yearlong professional development for her peers. Lin has a master degree in learning and design technology from University of Colorado and is pursuing a doctoral degree in Educational Leadership with a five-year commitment. In her down time, she is an avid chef and a certified master gardener with her own greenhouse and back yard garden where she grows vegetables and flowers all year round in the mile high city.
Mercedes Rasmussen
Mercedes Rasmussen, M.A, M.Ed., is a business teacher and DECA sponsor with 25 years of experience in the secondary classroom and 2 years of experience as an instructor at the University level in the area of Teacher Education. She believes in the power of building strong relationships with students and building a warm and welcoming classroom environment. In her free time Mercedes enjoys spending time with her husband and 2 sons. She is passionate about helping teachers enhance and build curriculum that engages students and helps to build excitement and confidence.