Tennessee Education Lottery Educator of the Week: Barker
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DYER, Tenn. — It is now time to meet this week’s Educator of the Week from Dyer presented by the Tennessee Education Lottery. Jessica Barker’s Health Science class is a perfect bond of teamwork and hands-on interaction. “I really love the student interaction. I like the hands-on things. I love to see a light bulb go off in someone’s head. When they’re taking the blood pressure and they can finally hear a pulse. Most of all the student interaction,” Barker said. Barker is a third-year teacher at Gibson County High School and a product of Union University. She also has worked at a variety of medical institutions as a registered nurse including Jackson-Madison County General Hospital, which inspired her to teach. “I had a lot of favorite teachers when I was in high school, but it really stemmed from when I worked at the hospital. I really enjoyed teaching my patients,” Barker said. Besides teaching health sciences, Barker has worn many other hats throughout the school, from being a cheer-leading coach to now leading the charge with the Health Occupations Students of America club. “HOSA is our health organization program at the high school. Anyone that is interested in healthcare can be in it. We’ve really grown the program. I had 18 students in it when I came here, and now we’ve got about 75.” Barker says it is all about having her students learn lifelong lessons. Barker will be eligible for the state-wide Tennessee Education Lottery Educator of the Month award. To vote for her and the other nominees this month, go to seehowitaddsup.com. To nominate a teacher for our weekly award, you can email us at educator@wbbjtv.com.
