Background Information

• Grew up in Griffin, Georgia
• In her 13th year of teaching
• Five-year-old daughter, Elizabeth

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in science education
• Currently working to earn a Ph.D. in Science Education

Christie Jarret, science and chemistry teacher, makes her place at Starr’s Mill this year. She enjoys her approach into teaching, which includes a bond with students.

“I’m kind of a relationship-focused teacher,” Jarret said. “If you get to know kids, and you let them know that you care about them, I think you can teach them anything.”

Jarret’s compassion is evident before her career in education. In college, she worked with a summer program on campus called “Steps to College.” The program took kids, mostly Hispanic, into classrooms to help them prepare for the SAT and ACT.

Along with “Steps to College,” Jarret worked for an entomologist, one who studies bugs. She caught bugs for his collection on campus. At one point, Jarret even found employment at Hot Topic.

“You name it, I’ve done it,” Jarret said.

Currently working on her Ph.D., Jarret is studying gesture research to learn even more about her students.

“I am really interested in how kids learn. There’s a whole lot of research called gesture research that I think is fascinating,” Jarret said. “I can watch kids and how they use their hands, or how long it takes them to answer a question, to figure out how well they know the content.”

Jarret is beginning to teach her gifted chemistry courses how to use gesture research to their advantage, like during an interview.

“A lot of it’s common sense, you just have to be conscious enough to pick up their cues,” Jarret said. 

When she isn’t teaching, Jarret spends time with her daughter, Elizabeth.