Jessie Labrie Email and Phone Number

After I graduated from the University of Portland Maxima Cum Laude, I entered the Teach For America program in order to teach in an under served urban area. As an education/history major, I was one of the few TFA corps members to have experience in the classroom beyond the training TFA gave. I know that experience helped me have a successful first two years in the classroom, and the mentoring I received from TFA helped me teach with rigor and data. I was placed in St. Louis teaching 6th grade English in a Title 1 magnet school named Busch Middle School. I taught there for three years, one year beyond the two year commitment of the program. I moved back to the Northwest to be closer to my family, and am now teaching 7th and 8th grade English at Kiona Benton Middle School, in Benton City, WA. This is a rural middle school, with a high migrant and free/reduced lunch student population. My two years here have been wonderful so far.I enjoy teaching and working with children more than any other profession I have ever tried and know this is my career for life. It is the most challenging and satisfying job, and I am constantly trying to improve my teaching so that every student I have the privilege of meeting leaves my classroom understanding more than they did. While I have only taught English, I did my student teaching in social studies. I enjoy teaching either subject. However, my true passion lies in art, and I am currently taking my pre-requisites to enter a fine arts master's program. English and social studies are vital for a student to become a successful and well rounded citizen of this country, but art helps a child to grow and express themselves in ways core classes might lack. I have also found that the students who are forgotten in the core subjects shine in the fine arts, be it music or drawing, and every child deserves to have a voice. My goal is to one day find a position where I can teach art in middle school.