Jfros002
My background
editHey, I’m Jessica Frost. I’m 27 years old and a junkie for change. Growing up as an army brat, I changed schools 9 times. Since high school, I’ve been to three universities, moved 10 times, and changed my major 8 times. What can I say: I like variety. Everything interests me, at least once. Once upon a time, I was about two-years serious about Landscape Architecture, which I studied Virginia Tech. I fell into it because of my love of the outdoors, but I soon realized it’s just another form of an office job. The competitive nature of the architecture program was disintegrating my soul, and I needed out. I had a professor there that asked me about teaching. I scoffed, but she said that ODU had this interdisciplinary studies program that focused on teaching, and with my personality in consideration, she thought it would be a great idea. Well, I was rearing for a change again, so I leapt at the idea. I was also stating to get sick of never finishing anything, and I hoped that this would finally capture my heart.
Present State
editI currently reside in Newport News, VA with my terrific boyfriend, Tom, who serves in the Navy. He was an old childhood crush, but he being a native New Yorker, we never crossed paths since adolescence. We met again at a wedding two years ago and have been dating ever since. I'm approxiately a sophmore/junior at ODU, although that's questionable. A lot of my transfer credits have yet to be approved.
My Educational Philosophy
editSchool needs to be fun, engaging, innovative, challenging, and diverse. Everyone’s different in some way and with a little effort, we can tailor an education that meets everyone’s needs. I really want to teach high school, eventually, because I had a rough time there. I started out high school like any other overachiever. Then I realized my teachers didn’t care, weren’t knowledgeable, were sticklers for the tried-and-true system, were incapable of making exceptions, and worst of all: were boring. They themselves were even bored! They didn’t even want to be there! I wasn’t learning anything, and it was a waste of my time. My grades started slipping, I stopped taking advanced courses, and then started skipping school. By the time reached my senior year, I dropped out. I was sick of being bored to tears. My parents’ were horrified so I immediately re-enrolled in an alternative high school. Everything changed. The school officials at the alternative high school allowed the students to pick and choose their own education. There were no rules about attendance, participation, lifestyle, what classes students choose to take, or what time. The bottom line was that the students take responsibility for what they need to learn to achieve what they feel is necessary for them as an individual. I was treated like an adult, with respect and dignity. The teachers taught mostly through class discussions and projects. My government teacher invited us to a rally in DC. This open-attitude is paramount in a teenager’s life, as they are coming to the point when they will need to be independently functioning adults.
I find it interesting to know that there is such a thing as an alternative high school. I didn't know they existed. I think it's great that school administrators are open minded enough to know that some students just don't fit into the mold, and that it's OK to think out of the box. Thanks for the enlightenment.Feking (talk) 16:04, 31 January 2009 (UTC)