I am Jessica Matthews and I am an undergraduate student at ODU studying to be a third grade teacher. I come from a very big family with five children. Of the five kids there are two sets of twins; my brother and I and my two little brothers. We are all very active and play sports. I love to ride horses, go camping, and fishing. I am also a very creative person and art is one of my favorite outlets. Painting is what I primarly do, but I also love to draw and sculpt as well. I can be very girlie but I am never afraid to work hard and get my hands dirty, many of my friends will call me a little bit of a tom boy. I went to Western Branch High School in Chesapeake, and it was here that I decided that I wanted to be a teacher. I love children and love to teach. I use to be a nanny but I am now currently a waitress at Captain Chuck-A-Muck's in Rescue VA. It is really great seafood so I hope to see all of you there.


A good teacher can be hard to find, but once found they can influence the lives of their students unlike another person. When I think of a great Teacher I think of Mme. Degnan my high school french teacher. She was the best teacher I have ever known and I hope that one day I can be just like her. Mme. Degnan was not just a teacher but a friend to all of her students, and we could trust her with anything. Her door was always open and often supported us in all of our activities. SHe attended as many sports events as she could and even came to horse shows that were not apart of school. She made class fun and interesting, and we all could not wait to go to her class. It is teachers like her that make school fun and not a jail. Teachers should try and help students as much in life as they do in the classroom. They should show their students that they care for them as individuals, not just a way of getting their pay checks. They should try to make class fun offer encentives to help student learn and I know it is crazy but if they can even offer help after school. Take students outside of the classroom if possible so they dont get bored...