Teacher Website for Mrs. Karen L. Jones, English Teacher
My Teaching Philosophy
I believe all children need to feel they are welcome, respected, and capable, and that the culture of my classroom should be a place where kids feel they are held in high regard and treated as suich. Books, poems, stories, and writing of all kind has the power to do so much. Books are lenses we use as a common focal point for our discussions, a place where we can begin to appreciate the messages and themes that resonate well beyond the classroom. My hope is to instill in my students a lifelong love of reading and writing. I also believe it is so important to set high expectations for all students and to teach them to set such standards for themselves. Just as importantly, it is my job to give them the tools they need to be successful and make certain they know what their final polished work looks like and to read and write alongside them. I do my very best to facilitate a classroom environment that is engaging, inspiring, and thought-provoking, as well as structured, respectful, empathetic, and kind. I try every day to offer students the same space in the classroom that I want my own children to experience.
About Me
After graduating from Medina in ‘92 (Karen D'Amico), I spent one year studying English at Ithaca College; later, I completed my Bachelor's Degree at the University of Pittsburgh, where I received a B.A. Writing. Then, after working in the private sector as a freelance writer, copyeditor, and legal secretary, I returned to Pitt to complete my Masters in the Art of Teaching (English 7-12). Following the M.A.T. program, I was selected as a Fellow with the Western Pennsylvania Writing Project, an intensive 6-week program affiliated with the National Writing Project. It was after teaching in Pennsylvania for a year and after completing the Writing Institute that I returned home to teach, filling the shoes of one of my favorite Medina English teachers, Mrs. Nancy Blake. I've been back home since 1999, and now live in Shelby with my husband Ric, and my sons Nich, Ryder, and River. I consider it an honor and privilege to work for the Medina Central School District in the community I call home.
