Not many teachers get the chance to return to the exact place where their own love of learning began. For Mrs. Jamie Liberio, teaching at her former high school isn’t just a job, it is an opportunity to reinvent the lessons that once inspired her.
Liberio is currently in her fifth year of teaching at North Penn High School and teaches tenth grade English and twelfth grade contemporary American Literature, as well as creative writing.
However, before she was the English teacher that all her students know and love, she too was once a student at North Penn.
“I think it is such a blessing to teach where I went to school. As a newer teacher, you have so many questions, and you often feel unsure of what you’re doing. You haven’t really found your footing and I think teaching with teachers that I looked up to and also trusted so much gave me people to ask questions to and look to for guidance,” Liberio explained.
When it comes to teaching the classes that she once took in high school, Liberio finds that honoring tradition while adding her own spin on the material keeps the lesson entertaining.
“I love to honor what has been almost like tradition or what is important for every student to learn, but I do love to put my own spin on it,” Liberio stated. “Being a student and going through the system myself, I think that I know what I enjoyed and maybe didn’t enjoy. I like taking from my own learning experience and then applying it as a teacher and hopefully doing it in a way that’s a little bit newer or exciting and feels a little bit more like me.”
With her combined love for learning and working with people, becoming a teacher had always been the goal for Liberio, and English had always been the subject that seemed to stand out the most for her.
“I loved English class. I loved reading books, I loved writing, and I always felt just so excited and inspired when I was in an English classroom. I just love to read stories and relate to it in some way and find the connections. It’s just a form of escape for me,” Liberio stated.
Even outside the classroom, Liberio is always finding more ways to fulfill her love of learning and constantly challenge herself. Whether it’s learning yoga, taking up baking, or training for a half marathon, Liberio is constantly looking for new ways to learn something new and challenge her mind.
“What I really like is just learning the skill and getting better at something that I didn’t think I could do. I am not the person that would think I could ever run a half marathon, so how amazing to prove to yourself you can run thirteen miles. I just love proving to myself that I can do something,” Liberio explained.
What many of Mrs. Liberio’s students don’t know about her is that she comes from a very artistic and musically talented background. She spent her childhood performing in musical theater and was a part of the women’s choir.
It’s safe to say that coming from such an artistic background really shaped Liberio’s love for stories and overall love for English.
“I grew up loving stories partly because I was reading them, but also because I was singing and acting them. When you’re in musicals you’re bringing the story to life, and it’s so fun to be a part of that. So, I think that really inspired my love for literature and stories in general,” Liberio stated.
Liberio’s background in musical theater also has had a positive impact on her career in teaching as well.
“Standing up in front of a room trying to engage students and be entertaining can sometimes feel like you’re putting on a show a little bit. So in some ways, I feel like I do channel that part of myself,” Liberio explained.
By bringing creativity and curiosity into every lesson, Mrs. Liberio continues the same love of learning that first began when she sat in those very same classrooms as a North Penn student. She continues to prove that sometimes the best teachers are the ones who never stop being learners themselves.
