Jamie Wright knew she wanted to be an educator at an early age. With the impact of an amazing high school teacher she pursued and received a BS in History Education from Southern Illinois University. She began in her hometown of Murphysboro, IL. While they did not have any Social Science openings, she was asked to take on teaching Study Skills and serving as an At Risk Mentor. The following year Jamie became the full time Title I At Risk Mentor for the building. This position taught her a lot about what makes a student at risk and what supports and strategies motivate them to succeed.
In 2002, she was hired at Sikeston Middle School, in Sikeston, Missouri where she spent 7 years teaching 6th grade Geography and 8th grade US History. She also sponsored the school’s student government. During her first year teaching at Sikeston, the district brought in a Ruby Payne trainer named Rita Pierson. She changed everything about who Jamie was as a teacher. The Ruby Payne Framework for Poverty combined with Ms. Pierson’s wisdom and advice gave her the tools to reach her at risk students in a new way as well as new strategies for working with students with learning differences. Meeting students where they are and providing equitable opportunities for them became her educational passion. While there, she also earned my MS.Ed in Administration from William Woods University.
In 2009, Jamie left Sikeston for Clarksville, TN where she was the first Inclusion Program teacher at Kenwood High School. Her background with at risk students and Ruby Payne combined with her experience teaching social studies made me her good candidate for the job. She fell in love with special education and decided to pursue a second MS.Ed in Special Education, which she earned from Western Governors University in 2011. After completing her degree, she was asked to take over the
Read 180 program for struggling readers, and she added an endorsement to teach ELA to her teaching license to do so. While teaching Read 180, she was also asked to take over the Gifted student caseload which gave her a whole new perspective on providing for learners with very diverse needs. After 3 years in this capacity, she was asked to take on the role of Response to Intervention Coordinator for the school while continuing to teach Read 180. Jamie served in this role for two years. While at KHS she also had served as the Student Government and Fellowship of Christian Athletes sponsor.
When Jamie left Kenwood High School in 2017, it was to take a position as a Technology Integration Coach for the school system. This is the position she still currently holds. As a tech coach Jamie develops and delivers trainings for district staff related to technology tools, coaches teachers on instructional strategies utilizing blended learning, models and co-teaches lessons to help implement new tools and strategies in the classroom, and works with the district AVID, Related Arts, and Special Education programs to provide specialized supports. In this role she has found that her passion for equity for all learners is at the center of her work. It has given her the opportunity to make a difference on a larger scale, and even to present to larger national and international audiences by presenting at conferences and in webinars. The power to impact the culture of a classroom or even an entire school is magical, and Jamie can’t wait to see what adventures it takes her on next.