Meet Jamie, our Independence Art teacher!

Q. Where are you from?
A. I grew up in Provo. I went to Edgemont Elementary (Go Eagles!) and Canyon Crest Elementary. For Junior High I went to Farrer Jr and I went to Timpview for High School.
Like most kids from Provo – I wanted to bust out of this place and never look back. However, due to a series of fortunate events in my life I got a scholarship to BYU for Track and Field and after graduating I started teaching at Independence High School. I fell in love with Independence and the kids here. I’m here for life!

Q. Why do you love teaching? And how long have you been teaching?
A. I love teaching because teenagers are hilarious and I love their enthusiasm. They renew my faith in humanity on a daily basis – not joking. Kids now are so much more clever and witty than ever before and they’re full of ideas and opinions that blow my mind constantly.
I’ve been teaching for 18 years – all of those at IHS. I love it here.

Q. Favorite book?
A. Ooo… that’s tough. I LOVE books… It would be hard to narrow down to just one book, though two of my most favorite books are The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom and Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.
I do have some favorite authors though.  I’ve read all of their books and excitedly wait for each new book they write. They are Daivd Sedaris (Hilarious), Malcolm Gladwell (Brilliant), and Brandon Sanderson (Fascinating).

Q. Favorite thing to do during the summer?
A. Full Contact Napping. I have several National Championships.
I also love to work in my garden and my favorite thing about gardening is harvesting the seeds from my flowers to try and create hybrids and/or fascinating colors, textures, or patterns. It’s nerdy but I love it. Hilariously, I am a terrible vegetable gardener.

Q. Anything else interesting or exciting that you want to share.
A. My favorite mediums of art are painting and ceramics and any artistic energy outside of class is spent on those. However, I never finish things and so I have unfinished paintings and ceramic projects in the thousands. You could say I’m a prolific non-finisher. It’s a fun way to use up space in the basement – my husband loves it.