Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessie Kelly.
Hi Jessie, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I think I always wanted to be a teacher, but I also had a strong interest in science. I started my bachelor’s degree at seventeen years old in the field of Biology on a pre-med track. I enjoyed my college science classes but decided that the medical field was not the best fit for me. I changed my major and became a K-8 educator. Initially, I worked with very young children, then moved to Gwinnett County and joined the Gwinnett County Public Schools Family. I had a period of nine years teaching elementary school in the Lilburn/Norcross area. In the last third of that tenure, I was teaching science full time to students in kindergarten through fifth grade. I had truly found my niche! An opportunity was available to me to continue to teach science, but at the middle school level, with sixth graders learning Earth Science at a Gwinnett County Public School in Lilburn. After six great years at that position, I was looking for a little something different and I am now at Crews Middle School in Lawrenceville. I teach a “Nature of Science” elective-type course as well as Biology. My students and I work together to run the Crews Student Garden where we raise plants from seed and are working to develop a sustainable horticultural entrepreneurship experience.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
As a teacher who specializes in teaching about the natural world, it is challenging when students do not feel as positive about nature as I do. Some students think that working with the earth is subservient or for uneducated people. Shifting the mindset of agriculture, horticulture, and forestry science using a focus of entrepreneurship and biology is one of the ways I am attempting to overcome this challenge.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
As a teacher, I specialize in science education, but within science education, I am able to teach students about horticulture and entrepreneurship through our Crews Student Garden. Our amazing space contains about 375 square feet of horizontal growing surface in our raised garden beds, in addition to our vertical spaces through trellising and our potted specimens. Students learn the science behind growing their own fruits and vegetables from seed to spoon!
What matters most to you?
Helping students develop skills that will help them become productive members of society is what matters the most to me. I believe that all students can learn and achieve at high levels, but I also believe that students vary in their strengths. Helping a student master an organizational strategy will not just help the student during that lesson but for their entire life as they pay bills, keep their family calendar organized, and build their own dreams. Teaching students that honesty is essential, kindness matters, and manners make a difference will help them in their careers and life. I want my students to think of the life lessons they learned with me and feel empowered by their work in the Crews Student Garden. Gardening is shown to reduce stress, help develop patience, and foster work ethic in a way that cannot be replicated in a traditional classroom setting.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @crewsstudentgarden
