We talk with Dr. Brooke Helling about how an unexpected path led her into English, ESL, and curriculum work, and why student connection matters as much as content. We also share what makes NorthStar Academy’s online model feel personal, growth-focused, and worth remembering for the relationships.
• Brooke’s real-life snapshot as a teacher, church leader, wife, and mom of four boys
• The “accidental English teacher” story and what she learns from ESL students’ resilience
• Designing a strong learning experience through belonging, buy-in, and student choice
• Measuring growth with mastery learning, reteaching, and assignment retries
• Why online school can deepen teacher-student connection through feedback and messaging
• What traditional sit-and-get models miss in a short-attention-span world
• Boy-mom lessons on grace, consistency, listening, and saying yes wisely
• “Anything worth doing is worth doing well” and why excellence points beyond ourselves
• The hope that students remember people and community most of all
Christina Crook
Christina Crook is a pioneering voice in digital well-being and the founder and CEO of JOMO(campus), a leading digital wellness program serving K–12 schools across North America and Oceania. Through JOMO, she equips educators and students with practical tools to strengthen focus, creativity, and connection in an always-on world.
Christina is the award-winning author of The Joy of Missing Out and Good Burdens, and the host of the JOMO(cast) podcast, where she interviews global leaders at the intersection of technology, purpose, and joy.
A sought-after speaker and certified digital wellness educator, she has partnered with organizations including Oxford University, Adobe, and Shopify. She serves on the Advisory Committee for the Baylor Center for School Leadership and is a contributing author to ACSI’s Leading Insights: Artificial Intelligence.
Named a changemaker in All Tech Is Human’s Responsible Tech Guide, Christina lives in Toronto with her husband and three children.
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