Growing up Jessica swore she would never work in education. But, these days, if you asked her what she’d do if she wasn’t working at The Open School she’d tell you she’d be doing everything she could to get to where she is now.
Before she even knew what Self-Directed Education was, Jessica was living it. Although she went to public school growing up, she spent most of her hours outside of school following her own interests. One of the biggest interests she pursued was baking and cake decorating. Her interest began when she found the show Cake Boss and was amazed by all the beautiful and amazing cakes they created on the show. Since she was only about eight at the time, Jessica started her baking journey on her own with an Easy Bake Oven. There were a lot of failed attempts and giant messes along the way – including the time when pretzel dough got stuck on the ceiling – but her parents always supported her, buying ingredients and tools and letting her take over the kitchen for days at a time to undertake large projects. By the end of elementary school, and all through high school, Jessica was making all the cakes for family gatherings including her cousin’s wedding and grandparents 50th anniversary.
During high school Jessica planned to turn her passion for baking and cake decorating into a career. However, she worried that she wouldn’t enjoy it anymore if she turned her hobby into a job. Due to this concern and a few others, Jessica decided to choose a different career path: education – even though she swore she would never be a teacher. Growing up, Jessica learned a lot about how the education system works and the struggles students and teachers face daily by seeing behind the scenes at the school where her mom worked. But, she had also always loved working with kids and, living in Canada, knew that being a teacher was a “good” career choice.
When she started university, Jessica didn’t know Self-Directed Education existed. That all changed one day in her first year when her prof showed a short clip from the Summerhill movie. This was Jessica’s first introduction to the world of Self-Directed Education and she was hooked. After that day Jessica spent the rest of her undergrad learning as much as she could about Self-Directed Education in all its forms. Jessica had found a new passion within education and knew it was what she wanted to do with her life.
After finishing her undergrad Jessica knew that she wanted to visit a Self-Directed school, ideally a Sudbury school. Since there are almost no Sudbury schools in Canada (where Jessica lives), she began thinking about going to the US to visit a school or possibly do research there as part of a Masters degree. In the end it was a job posting that put her plan in motion; The Open School was hiring and they were looking for a new on campus staff member! At the time, the job wasn’t an option for Jessica, but she was determined to at least visit the school and worked with Cassi to set up a position for her to volunteer on campus for a few months. She loved her time at the school and it really cemented that this is what she wants to do. The next hurdle was figuring out how to do it in Canada where there were no schools for her to work at. But, as luck would have it, Jessica had connected with the one Sudbury school that had a virtual program. And, once again, they were hiring!
These days Jessica couldn’t be happier with where life has taken her. At school, Jessica enjoys following her interests alongside students during activities like cooking / baking, arts and crafts, get stuff done, reading group, and Stardew Valley. She also loves spending time working with students and staff on committees to support and strengthen the virtual community. Outside of school, Jessica often spends her mornings nannying – soaking in all the baby snuggles she can. And, on the weekends her favorite thing to do is spend time with her partner Ingrid, cooking elaborate dishes, going for long bike rides, seeing family and friends, or playing board games.
