WEST BRANCH, Mich.—It can be tough to motivate your kids to get their school work done with classes online. But one Cedarville graduate is making sure her students are engaged each day. 

Heidi Bruder is a fifth through seventh grade teacher at Calvary Christian Academy. She said when school was moved online, she was worried about how motivated her students would be.

“I knew my kids, my students were not going to be excited about now having to sit in front of a computer screen and do school," Bruder said.

So Bruder decided to dress up in a new costume each day.

“I’m teaching the grade levels that two of my sons are in," she said. "So just being able to know what’s cool. I have that insider scoop from my own children.”

From Yoda to Picasso, Bruder says she likes to keep her students guessing.

“It’s been a fun diversion for myself," Bruder said. "And it just keeps the kids guessing and wanting to come to class. That’s the big thing, you kind of burnout after awhile. But this at least makes them want to come on and see what Mrs. Bruder’s going to be and then just join in on the learning.”

Bruder says a typical day in her classroom is always different and interactive, so she knew she had to bring that same energy to online schooling. And when she did it for the first remote class, she knew she had to keep it up.

“It is hard to get really excited about online school," she said. "But I think that they can at least sense my enthusiasm. Mrs. Bruder’s trying. She’s at least trying to make this fun and make this engaging in a different way than the classroom.”

While it’s been challenging, Bruder shares it’s given her a way to connect with her students that she cares for so much.

“I hope that this really shows parents and students how much their teachers love them," she said.