Henrico's Top Teachers – Jessica Petree

You might say Jessica Petree is a Springfield Park lifer.

She attended the school as a student, beginning as a third-grader when it opened in 1996.

While working on her master's in teaching at VCU prior to her 2011 graduation, she was placed at Springfield Park as a student teacher.

Then, she received a job offer to teach at the school full-time.

Now in her sixth-year, Petree is – surprise! – right at home teaching third grade. She particularly enjoys the age because her students "are old enough to accept a little bit of responsibility. . . but they're still young enough to have that love of learning that they're not scared to show."

The students pick up on her sarcastic sense of humor and their personalities typically flow well with hers, she said.

Petree takes particular care to get to know each student on a personal level, by finding time throughout each day to learn about their likes and dislikes through meaningful conversations.

"It's important to connect with them and build those relationships with them so that they know my classroom is a safe environment," she said, "because you have 25 or 26 different children who come in with completely different experiences. I need them all individually to know that I'm there for them, I care for them, I love them.

"They're more willing to take greater risks with learning if they know that they're loved."

The approach has resonated with students and parents alike.

"She’s teaching [my son] that teachers care about him, that he’s not just a number – and that he is accountable whether he has struggles at home or not," one parent wrote in a nomination letter. "She encourages ways to live up to this accountability. She’s a phenomenal teacher – a breath of fresh air. I’m not alone in feeling she’s a wonderful teacher on every level."

Petree has had plenty of practice teaching – starting years ago when she created quizzes at home and made her brother take them.

"I don't think that he wanted to do that," she recalled with a laugh, "but he took them."

Though she confessed to feeling a bit "weird" when she returned as a teacher to the school she once attended, she has a unique perspective to offer her students as a result. And in return, they offer her just as much.

"Teaching allows me to be a lifelong learner," she said. "I definitely learn from my students as much as they learn from me."