Denton ISD Our Impact In Your Community Magazine Summer 2017 | Page 9

Ms. Jamie Covey serves in the US Navy Reserve
Forces and is also a national spokesperson for
Carry the Load, a non-profit organization that
celebrates the sacrifices of our nation’s heros.
Secondary Teacher of the Year
Covey’s love of service drives teaching philosophy
T
he influence of Jamie Covey’s father, of
setting high expectations and building
relationships, can be found sprinkled
throughout her life. Yet, the doctoral student
who works two very demanding jobs, one as
the American Sign Language (ASL) teacher
at Denton High and the other as a reserve
officer in the United States Navy, was caught
off guard when she was named the
district’s Secondary Teacher of
the Year.
“I don’t have a lot of time to mess
around, so I think that translates
to my relationships with students,”
said Ms. Covey. “My father never
disciplined us in public, yet he set
very high expectations and then
addressed us in a very firm and
direct manner privately, so I do
all of my one-on-one talks with
students outside of class.”
She describes her teaching style as strict but
tailored for the individual for all her 170 ASL
students. As a Denton High graduate and
one who has literally sat in their seat, her
experiences give her a relatability
second to none.
“Asking kids to do things in a learning
environment requires them to fail, but if
they feel safety in failure then the return
on success if so much greater – it’s
immeasurable,” she said. “If I can teach them
to want to learn, then subsequently fail and
then want to grow from that failure that’s a
skill they will have for the rest of the ir life.”
When Ms. Covey returned from a deployment
to Iraq in 2008, she had a split schedule
teaching history and ASL. She
believes that opportunity forced
her to refine her teaching skills
regardless of subject matter.
The signing skills she learned
while attending Denton High
opened many doors for her,
helped pay her way through
college and beyond. But, service
to others and opportunities to
work beyond stereo-types drives
her to encourage students to
look and think farther then they
traditionally do.
“When I come in on a Monday and my kids
tell me they’re tired, I remind them, ‘Me
too, I just did 20-hours of duty and Ph.D.
level statistics homework, so let’s just pull
it together and focus,’” she said. “Dig in, and
let’s get to it.”
Story by
Julie Zwahr
Photos by
Ernie Stripling
and
Clif Cotton
For more on Ms. Covey watch this
https://youtu.be/yCtbQOLyiKs
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