Thinking Outside the Classroom

SWAN VALLEY – "There is so much more to education than what is in a lesson plan," said first-year teacher Jamie Matthew. Matthew joined the Swan Valley School teaching staff this year after working as a paraprofessional at SVS since 2013. She hopes that her third, fourth and fifth-grade students will get a well-rounded education that helps them become better people and contributing members of the community.

Matthew grew up in Seeley Lake. She married her husband Jonathan in 2004 and moved to the Swan Valley.

Matthew began her career at Swan Valley School volunteering in her son Connor's classroom. Halfway through the year, she was hired as a paraprofessional. Under the direction of Julie Haines from Seeley Lake Elementary, Matthew worked primarily in special education and Title with kindergartners through eighth-graders.

During her time at Swan Valley School as a paraprofessional, Matthew coached soccer. She also attended several trainings including Performance Excellence for All Kids in Vail, Colo., International Baccalaureate training in New Orleans, Common Core training and counselor training. Matthew said these trainings offered her valuable experience.

Other teachers and parents encouraged Matthew to go back and get her teaching degree. When two teaching positions opened up at the Swan Valley School for the 2017-2018 school year she applied. She felt her multi-tasking skills she learned as a paraprofessional set her up well for a multi-age classroom. She is working on her teaching degree online through the Western Governor's University in kindergarten through eighth grade interdisciplinary studies.

Besides teaching this year, Matthew is also the on-site technology coordinator. Her students know her as Ms. Jamie since she was always known as Jamie when she worked as a paraprofessional.

While Matthew feels she could have worked with any age group she is excited about the third through fifth-graders.

"I have the ability to do more intricate lessons and assignments than I would with the K-second but they still have that excitement and are enthusiastic," said Matthew. "It is just a fun middle age to teach. I'm really enjoying it."

Matthew collected her favorite ideas and teaching styles from the different teachers that she worked with as a paraprofessional and blended it with her own. She also feels that working in Special Education and Title has given her a unique perspective of what works well with children. This helps her set up her classroom with multiple ways of exposing material so each individual can be successful with their different learning style.

One of Matthew's goals is to instill a love of reading in her students. During reading class everyone gets comfortable with a book. Matthew said it is a time everyone has started to look forward to.

Another goal is to instill a love of learning.

"I hope to help them be inquisitive of the world and look beyond each individual assignment and really want to become life-long learners," said Matthew. "We begin a lesson plan but I don't have any problem veering off that if their interest heads in other directions."

Matthew has also brought her experience and comfort with technology into the classroom. This provides the students the skills they need and opens up many other educational opportunities, like virtual field trips, that otherwise would be limited since they are rural.

She also feels textbooks have their place. She teaches her students how to read them and uses them as a resource to find answers instead of just answering their questions.

"Whatever we are learning I try to relate it to life and it helps to get them personally invested," said Matthew. "Instead of me teaching to them, I believe in all learning together and having them be involved in that process."

Matthew had the students helped her create the grading rubric for a recent social studies project. She was surprised how thorough her students were. It also showed her that they were willing to challenge themselves, get outside of their comfort zone and use their capabilities.

Matthew implemented an incentive program using the app Class Dojo. Not only does it give points for positive points, it teaches economics by keeping a balance that students can use to purchase prizes. Matthew looks forward to using it to teach general economic principals and other social studies lessons.

Matthew said, "It's been a great incentive [for the students] to volunteer and has allowed me to reward them for taking risks, challenging themselves, going above and beyond and positive behavior."

Matthew looks forward to collaborating with other teachers and appreciates the support and encouragement from mentor teacher Sheila Devins from Seeley Lake Elementary. When she makes mistakes as a teacher she apologies to her students and uses it as an opportunity to show them that it is okay to make mistakes. She stresses being kind above anything else.

"I see them not just as students but as children and they are looking for encouragement and support. I want them to see that learning can be enjoyable. Everyone in my classroom can be successful; they just need to put in the effort."

Because the Swan Valley is Matthew's home, she is invested in her students and the community. With that stability she hopes to provide continuity in the teaching staff at the school. She is proud of the unique education that Swan Valley School provides in a rural Montana setting. She also loves using the outdoor classroom at the school and the local recreation opportunities as a teaching tools and showing students what the Swan Valley has to offer.

"I want to see our school and our valley succeed," said Matthew.

Matthew is grateful to all the parents and guardians that entrust their children to her every day. She feels that having two children of her own has given her a parent's perspective.

"I can't promise that I won't make mistakes but I do promise I will show up every day and give those children my best," said Matthew. "I love teaching and I believe I have found what I was born to do; I plan on being here for as long as they want me here for."

When Matthew is not teaching she enjoys fly fishing, horseback riding, hiking, boating, snowmobiling, baking and spending time with her family.