After working in Tanzania and Mozambique, English teacher Jessica Batterton has returned to her education career—and her hometown.
Batterton recently worked at the International Youth Foundation (IYF), an international nonprofit, where she focused on employability programming.
This year Batterton is teaching English 10 and English Language Development (ELD) 3. She said her experience in Africa left her missing interactions with students.
“I did a lot of planning, but I didn’t actually work with students,” Batterton said. “So even though the programs were for students, I didn’t actually have much of a chance to interact [with them].”
After working as Program Coordinator for the nonprofit, Batterton said she wanted to return to teaching, and chose Marshall.
“I grew up in Vienna, so I knew about Marshall,” she said. “It has a really good reputation and the IB program…and I wanted to continue to be at a school that followed that same program.”
In addition to her work with IFY, Batterton said she has taught at a middle school with the Mid Years Programme, a branch of the International Baccalaureate (IB) system.
As someone who has traveled around the world, Batterton said she has advice for students.
“Believe in yourself,” Batterton said. “I think that every student has a unique experience and brings something to the classroom. So be proud of the experience that you have.”
She said she hopes students take advantage of the opportunities given to them.
“It’s kind of cliche, but the world is your oyster,” Batterton said. “There’s a lot of opportunities. So be confident in yourself and who you are, and keep working for what you want.”