Grades/subjects you teach: exceptional children instructional assistant
E-mail address: jwhite@chatham.k12.nc.us
Date, place of birth: January 29, Siler City
Education (high school & college attended, degrees): Chatham Central High School; associates degree from Sandhills Community College
Brief work history: exceptional children instructional assistant at Bennett School and Siler City Elementary School; site coordinator for the YMCA after-school program at Bennett School
Honors/awards: 2019 Bennett School Instructional Assistant of the Year
Hobbies/interests outside of educating: I love spending time with my family! I also enjoy cooking and spending time on our farm.
Family: Married to my high school sweetheart, which will be 25 years in October! We have two sons.
What led you to a career in education?: I enjoy being around children and helping them.
Who were your favorite teachers as you went through school, and what did you learn from them?: My favorite teacher in school was Mr. Julian Smith, the former agriculture teacher from Chatham Central High School. I was in Mr. Smith’s horticulture class. His classes were always engaging because he had a special gift of teaching. I still remember things that I learned in that class and use them today. Mr. Smith also took the time to reach out to every student in his class.
Has becoming an educator been all you expected it would be?: Having the opportunity to help the teacher in the classroom can be rewarding, especially when you see a child able to reach a goal.
How has education changed since you were a student?: Our kids today are tested so much, and I don’t remember having that many tests when I was going through school.
What “makes your day” as an educator?: As an assistant, it always made my day to see kids being able to complete their work or achieve a goal without feeling stressed or having any anxiety issues.
What’s working in schools today?: Chatham County Schools has so many awesome teachers and administrators that are dedicated to helping our kids achieve great things!
Best piece of advice for other educators?: I believe it’s so important to make connections with the kids that you cross paths with. They need to feel accepted and loved.
For students?: I would advise students to never stop learning and reaching for their goals. They have a purpose and the world needs their contribution!
For parents?: I would tell parents to love their kids and build them up to achieve their goals, from the smallest goal to the much bigger ones that come along.
If you could somehow magically instill one truth into the heads of your students, what would it be?: You are important and can make a difference in our world.
When you think about today’s kids, you: I think kids today have so many opportunities and options to receive a good education.
If one of your students was asked for a one-word description of you by a student who hadn’t had you as an educator, what would that one word be?: Nice
Favorite movie about school or education: My favorite movie about education is “Front of the Class.” This is a true story about a boy who grew up with Tourette’s Syndrome. All throughout his childhood he suffered from being bullied and being made fun of because of his uncontrollable noises, but he never let it stop him from reaching his goal of becoming the kind of teacher he never had. It’s a very motivational story.
How would you summarize your philosophy as an educator?: Every child matters and we should try to be the best advocate for them while we have them.
What’s special about your school?: Bennett School is a nice, community school that has been blessed to have so much parental involvement.