By Derrick Smith

Jade George is a teacher at Ponca City High School. While she enjoys teaching at Ponca City, she says that her first teaching job is one that she will not forget. 

“My first job as an educator was in a very small school that will always have a special place in my heart,” she said. “I had small class sizes that ranged from five to fifteen students. When I started at Ponca City, I quickly realized that I taught more students in a day than there were kids in the entirety of the middle and high school when I was before. I remember, after my first full week of school, calling my mom to say I love teaching at Ponca City, just as much as I did in a small town. I love my job, I love teaching, and I love helping my students love to learn.”

George, who is in her second year at Ponca City, teaches English II and Pre-AP English II. Her first teaching stop was at Aline-Cleo where she taught for her first five years after graduating from college. 

She made the decision to become an educator because of those that impacted her life throughout her educational journey.

“I wanted to become a teacher to make a difference in students’ lives,” George stated. “I always look back and think about those genuinely wonderful, positive experiences I had in classrooms from elementary school to college, and I wanted to help students feel that same way. I strive for my students to feel the same way about my classroom, as I did in those that cemented my love for education and learning. During my high school years it was Lynn DeMuth and John Cherry. During my college years, it was Don Stinson. All three of them helped me, in one way or another, choose to become an educator.”

During her teaching career, Jade has been given some different pieces of advice. She says that there is one that she thinks of everyday.

“The best advice I was given in regards to teaching is to be authentic,” she said. “Be your best, true self and your students can and will pick up on that.”

When she is not in the classroom teaching, Jade enjoys reading books, listening to music, watching true crime documentaries, and playing video games.”