It happened at Pennfield Middle School in Mr. Romano’s 9th grade English class when the lightbulb went off in her head. The passion for literature and writing was burning inside of her. This was the moment that Jamie Devine decided she was going to become an English teacher.

Devine is in her first year of teaching here at North Penn. While it’s her first year teaching here, it certainly isn’t her first time navigating the building. Devine is a North Penn graduate and feels that being back is like coming home.

“I feel so grateful to be here everyday,” Devine explained, “I walk in and I still look around my classroom and can’t believe this is my space and that I get to work with so many intelligent and unique students. I think it’s really cool to be back because I also have so many familiar faces and people that I can go to if I have any questions. Having a community that knows you really makes your first year as a teacher less scary.”

Devine was involved in a wide range of clubs and activities, many of which had to do with North Penn’s creative aspects. She was involved in the women’s choir and chamber ensemble, the Thespian troupe, and Broadway Cares Equity Fights AIDS. She also carried her love of literature into a form other than reading, which was acting. Devine worked with Ms. Andrea Roney and the whole theater crew every year in the fall and spring plays. The theatre community was one she always turned to because they always made her feel accepted. She has very fond memories from all of her experiences in North Penn Theatre and couldn’t be more grateful for the memories she made.

“North Penn music and theatre was really my home here. I met some wonderful people and it was a great way to express myself,” Devine expressed. “I always felt really supported and welcomed. I appreciated the community for being so open. I loved getting to be someone else for a while and really appreciate art,” she added when discussing North Penn’s incredible theater community.

Devine graduated from West Virginia with a Bachelor’s degree in English and a Master’s in Secondary Education. She chose to stay in West Virginia to complete her internship. Her internship took place at a small high school located in a coal mining town composed of many low-income families. Her internship also happened to take place during the middle of the pandemic, which brought on many different obstacles all in itself. This internship gave Devine a new perspective and more appreciation for everything she had at North Penn as a student. She also feels that working in an area struggling economically prepared her for her teaching career.

“Being in a low income community meant that we had a lack of resources and my students really did struggle with the pandemic. This challenge forced me to get creative, and I think it prepared me a lot to transition into my first full-time teaching job. It was a huge challenge, but I enjoyed teaching in a new community to gain knowledgeable culture. It really opens your eyes to the limitations in education based on region. I think I truly learned how to adapt my teaching based on what my students need. You also realize we are really lucky here for the resources that we have. It is important as an educator to learn how to support students that don’t have the same resources,” Devine said.

For Devine, she decided to become an English teacher so that she could share her passion for literature with her students and open their eyes to the freedom that encompasses English. She has always felt that reading and writing are like an escape and a way for individuals to express their creativity.

“English is multi-moto. There are so many different aspects. One of the great things about English is there is not one right answer or one perspective. I love that when you read something you can take it in a different direction based on your own experiences. I think that reading and writing begs for creativity and allows you to escape for a little while. English also encourages you to collaborate and communicate, which after Covid so many students need. These social and emotional aspects are why I genuinely appreciate English,” Devine said.

English is a special kind of class for many reasons. One of those reasons is that it is a subject where you can more readily express yourself and your feelings. For Devine, that is why she gravitated towards English. She was a child full of many emotions and needed a way to exert them. Reading and writing was an outlet and one that she is grateful for.

“I have always had a lot of feelings and literature was a place to put my feelings and make them make sense. Sometimes even just reading a line makes you feel something and you don’t even know why. It has always been a way to make your feelings feel smaller and less overwhelming,” Devine noted.

Now that she has become an English teacher, she enjoys seeing her students start to build an appreciation for her class. As we progress further and further into the school year, she is starting to see their views on literature change. The conversations that transpire between her students, and the relationships that are built through the class all resemble the picture she always had in mind for her classroom.

“My favorite part of being an English teacher is getting to see all that blossoms from my teaching. Seeing my students talk about literature and the conversations that come from that are so incredible. I love that English gives opportunities for social and emotional learning allowing relationships to be made and creating a classroom that is its own little community,” Devine expressed.

While she admires seeing her students form relationships amongst themselves, she also understands the importance of having positive student-teacher relationships. Sometimes it can be a challenge to connect to students but Devine thinks she has found a way to elicit even a minor relationship with everyone in her class.

“I am not afraid to make fun of myself. I love to poke fun and just make it a fun atmosphere,” Devine said with a laugh, “I try to just be honest with them and show them that everyone is going to have an off day or make a mistake. This also goes in hand with building trust with my students. If they don’t trust me, they aren’t going to learn from me.”

Making fun of herself is not only one way to connect with her students, but also a way to express her support toward them. Devine always makes a point to show her students how proud she is of all their English accomplishments. Whether that be overcoming writer’s block or finally being able to connect to a piece of writing.

“Writing is such a mental process and sometimes it can be really frustrating. Getting to see how my students start writing vs how it ends is such a rewarding process. I try to show my students support so that they feel like they are a part of this space and it wouldn’t be the same without them,” Devine emphasized.

Devine has two sayings that she always recognizes students’ growth as not only students, but also as individuals. Her first saying is one that she uses to improve herself as well.

“Life is like writing. It is never really done and you can always fix it. Even as a teacher there are still opportunities to learn. As my experiences as an English teacher broden, I can learn new things to carry on through my career and build upon,” Devine said.

Devine’s last saying is one she wants to engrave in all of her students’ minds. She wants them to walk away from her class with the understanding that you are never alone when you have literature.

“No matter what you are dealing with, I feel like there is a play, a story, or a book that shares that experience. It is amazing because literature never lets you feel alone.”