Michelle Jones has been teaching English at Granite Hills High School for eight years and has been a dual-enrollment teacher for four years.
Before arriving at Granite Hills, Jones attended California State University, San Bernardino, where she received her Bachelor’s Degree in English Linguistics. Jones then went on to receive her Master’s in Gothic Literature from National University.
So, what drew Ms. Jones to Gothic Literature?
For starters, Gothic Literature is an exploration of the darker side of humanity, questioning everybody’s sanity as far as what they perceive is real. Jones said Gothic Literature interested her because she grew up seeing one side of literature. Seeing the darker side of literature opened new doors and gave her time to explore other literatures, and also opened the door to different sides of humanity.
Originally from West Covina, Jones now lives in Porterville, where she balances her personal and professional lives.
Outside the classroom, Jones enjoys sewing, crocheting, building figures, and playing Magic: The Gathering (MTG).
Jones is an avid fan of Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, and Supernatural. Her favorite is the Harry Potter series because growing up, she was able to relate to the book.
The surprises don’t end there with Ms. Jones. Another surprising thing about her is that she did dance clogging for eight years and competed in many competitions throughout the USA.
Dance clogging is a mixture of tap dance and river dance. Jones was a very shy child growing up, and performing in front of audiences helped her with her introverted side.
Jones has a lot of interesting hobbies, which she definitely makes time for, but she is also busy teaching her English classes.
Jones chose to become a teacher because of her love for English and wanting to share it with others, a decision that has shaped her life ever since.
Over the years, she had memorable moments, such as seeing students grow from their freshman year to their senior year.
Teaching is not without challenges, like students not finishing their work, but since she teaches seniors, she helps them find a way to succeed so they can graduate. She wants her students to keep up with their work while also making time for themselves. Jones hopes that students walk away from her class learning responsibility and how to advocate for themselves.
She said students learning to advocate for themselves is important because it’s better to learn early on to fight for your needs instead of learning it later in life when its too late.
A moment that stands out to Jones is when students have the “ah-ha moment,” or understand what is happening in the story they are reading in class.
“I tell students something that my mom always told me, which is to try their best,” Jones said. “I am not asking for students to be perfect, but I am asking students to always try their best.”
Jones stays motivated by trying to have a good balance between work and life. She tries to complete most of her tasks at work.
Looking ahead, Jones has strong opinions about the future of education, saying, “AI is going to become more prominent in the future, and I hope students won’t lose their sense of creativity and imagination.”
In 5-10 years, Jones sees herself continuing to teach at Granite Hills. She said Granite Hills is very different from where she went to school. She likes that the students here are more down-to-earth and more humble.
