Jodie Barber is a builder in a figurative and literal sense.

The Linderman Education Center director builds relationships on a daily basis with students at the alternative high school, which serves both Flathead and Glacier high schools. In the literal sense, her interest in carpentry has led her to build two tables located in the recently renovated building.

She’s also built her career into one where she’s able to give second chances to youth. These second chances come with high expectations, but also patience and compassion.

“I think kids respond well to that because they know I’m not going to give up on them,” Barber said.

At its core, the career she’s built allows her to return to her social worker roots.

After graduating from the University of Montana with a bachelor’s degree in social work, Barber started out working at a group home for sexually abused girls, in addition to a shelter and a juvenile detention center. Early on, Barber realized she wanted to reach more youths and enrolled in Montana State University, obtaining her master’s degree in education with an emphasis in school counseling.

From there, she took a counseling position at Kalispell Middle School, where she stayed for 10 years. When Glacier opened, a counselor position opened at Flathead and Barber jumped at the opportunity. At the high school, she had a caseload where it was possible to make meaningful connections beyond knowing a face or name.

“To actually have meaningful connections, that’s just such a huge part of me and who I am and what I believe I can offer,” Barber said.

During her four years at Flathead she also served as a counselor within Linderman’s two former programs, Bridge Academy and Laser High School, which later merged into one program during the 2013-14 school year.

It was at the alternative high school that Barber felt at home. When the Bridge Academy position opened, Barber applied.

“I loved working with kids who just needed a little extra support. Kids who are fighters and persistent. Maybe they had made bad choices along the way or maybe they were dealt a bad deck of cards, or whatever, but they were in school and they were trying, they just needed support, those were my favorite kids because that’s how I started out when I started working with kids with trauma,” Barber said.

During the interview for the director position, Barber brought a special book, recollecting that reading it as a middle-schooler sparked a life mission.

“When I was younger, I think sixth or seventh grade, I read a book called ‘City Kid’ and it was about a kid who was in foster care. He set fires. He was passed around. It was like, ‘I want to work with him’ I felt like, ‘I want to help him,’” she said. “That was just something I held on to. That was probably a start.”

DURING HER time at Flathead she prepared to take on more responsibility and earned her administrative certification.

“I wanted to be an administrator because I wanted to be able to set the tone of the school. I wanted to be able to create something,” she said.

When Bridge and Laser merged in 2012 she was selected as the director.

“Everything that I did in my career was leading me to a spot in alternative education. This is my heart. This is my passion,” Barber said.

Linderman serves about 160 students a year, according to Barber, and there is always a waiting list of students searching for the educational environment that’s right for them. The school offers a classroom and digital learning experience, but all of the curriculum is through independent study.

“I always tell students no matter what your story is that brought you here — because everybody has their own story whether it’s social, emotional, whether it’s trauma, whether they were just a turkey and skipped school, whatever it is — you are making the choice to come to Linderman. You don’t have to come here. And so I say it comes down to three things to be here. It’s a privilege to be here because everything is independent, we can create a schedule for you. You can take two classes, six classes, be here from 8 to 3, or be here from 12 to 5:30,” she said.

There are a few expectations to staying enrolled at Linderman — regular attendance, respectful and responsible attitudes and completion of weekly goals in addition to turning in all assignments and maintaining a minimum grade of C. She said those expectations are possible because of the small size of Linderman.

BARBER ISN’T one to mince words with students.

“I am a principal who is going to be in your business and that’s part of what happens when you come time Linderman because I want you to be successful,” Barber said. “We’re going to meet you where you’re at and we’re going to bring you forward, but there are going to be times when you don’t like me and that’s totally OK because when you walk across the stage and you’re getting a diploma you’re going to be very thankful.”

And her door is always open to talk it out.

“You never know who or what situation is going to come through your door and I know that’s true in every school, but what I love is my door is always open. You don’t have to have an appointment to see me,” she said.

The highlights of her career is seeing the academic growth and maturity that led them to cross that stage, “When that light bulb turns on for them and they say, ‘I get what you’re trying to do. I’m important. I value education.’”

Yet, there are students who aren’t ready for that much independence.

“Sometimes they choose to leave us, but they come back ready to buckle down and that’s what I love. Sometimes kids just drop. School is not for them and they’ll come back and see us. There, we may not have been able to help them get their diploma, but we’ve built a relationship with them that they value to come back and check in with us and say how things are going,” Barber said.

“The hardest thing for me is one, when a student drops, but even more so is when they’ve had chance, after chance, after chance. The student is not ready to take opportunities and I have to make that call and give their seat to somebody else,” she said.

These are the moments that give her pause, “Is a student going to come back? Go downhill? Did I make the right choice?”

Yet Barber realizes students have to be willing to come to school and to do the work and there are others waiting for that opportunity.

“If I can change, truly change one person’s life, like truly make a difference then that was a successful year for me. If I help more than one in that way, those are bonuses, but if you can truly send them on a different path for better — that’s success.

Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4433 or hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com.