Every week for the month of May, we have been highlighting teachers in our community for Education Awareness Month.
Jamie Verdi comes from a long line of educators, and she always knew she wanted to be a teacher. Even her husband works in education, and she’s proud to be able to say that she is a teacher.
Verdi began her career at Mendive Middle School in 2002, which is why the school holds such a special place in her heart. She’s racked up 23 years of educating.
She tells us that being a physical education teacher is the best job in the world. Her job doesn’t require worrying about test scores, but what she does focus on is building relationships, teaching social skills, and showing students how to be part of a team, both in and out of the classroom.
From the start of the school year to the end, Jamie Verdi teaches her students through patience and tolerance.
Verdi says, "Our staff is all about team building, and you can see it with the staff in the building. You have a strong staff, and that’s going to trickle down to strong kids. We have super young, energetic, fun, willing-to-participate staff, and that all positively impacts our kids."
She adds, "We have kids that weren’t really sure how to navigate middle school or just the procedures and kind of had to work through things, and to see them grow and mature and develop in such a short time, they really do."
Verdi tells us that physical education has also proven to help kids in scholastic categories.
She explains, "As a P.E. teacher, we always say P.E. is probably the most important class. They do show that if you’re in P.E. right before math, you’re going to do really well in math, so moving your body is really important for success and setting yourself up for success in those core classes."
And she adds, "So we try to do what we can in here to make them less wiggly and maybe able to concentrate a little bit better in their core classes."
Through P.E., kids also get the chance to explore different athletic avenues.
Verdi tells us, "We’ll say to kids, ‘You didn’t even know you were a setter for volleyball, but now you are.’ So many of them are exploring things they maybe haven’t explored before."
Verdi says building confidence is a huge part of teaching a kid they can do anything.
"If they could see themselves through my eyes, like you can do it, and as soon as they realize it, like, ‘I can do this,’ and in P.E. you have so many opportunities to do that because you’re trying all these little skills and activities and you get to practice over and over."
She says many of the kids are learning more about themselves, and watching them achieve a new skill is rewarding.
Verdi goes on to say, "They’re starting to figure it out; they’re starting where they’re young adults, and they’re figuring out movement and hopefully gaining a little bit of confidence."
She explains that as an educator, she builds confidence by showing kindness, patience, and tolerance, and by teaching kids that it’s OK to make mistakes.
Verdi also says she feels appreciated at her job.
"The kids are so kind, even if I have a kid where we don’t get along, ringing them back in around, you can see the appreciation and that mutual respect that we have earned."
She also has a message for teachers who may not feel as appreciated:
"We see you, we know the hard work that you’re doing every day, and while you might not feel appreciated, you really are appreciated."
Verdi also says, "We have to teach kids more than just the reading and science and social studies; we really need to teach them to be kind and patient with each other and tolerant of our differences and then kind again. I just feel like if we can be kind to each other, what an amazing world it would be."
She says that, for her, being a teacher means being an example to the kids, showing them how they should treat one another in this world.
