New Faculty Profile: Ms. Jordan Heise
erica truong | sept. 7 2023 | features
Ms. Jordan Heise is joining Stanton College Preparatory School’s faculty as the new Critical Thinking and Public Service Leadership teacher for this 2023-2024 school year. Starting her career as a teacher, Ms. Heise hopes to ignite the same passion for learning within her students that she once received from her instructors when she was enrolled at Stanton.
“I always knew I wanted to teach high school at some point because I loved being a Stanton student,” said Ms. Heise.
After graduating from Stanton in 2017, Ms. Heise attended Florida State University. There she attained two bachelor’s degrees, one in literature with a minor in psychology, and another in interdisciplinary humanities which was social studies oriented. She then applied for her english certificate prior to the 2022-2023 school year. While waiting for her certification, Ms. Heise began substituting in various classes at Stanton and was subsequently offered a position as an official teacher.
“I’m excited to be here throughout the rest of the school year,” said Ms. Heise. “I managed to already start building connections and breaking through some of the shyness of my little baby freshmen.”
Ms. Heise’s love for learning expanded during her time as a Stanton student because of the school’s nurturing environment. Her instructors provided her with quality education while making it enjoyable. Ms. Heise admired her teachers’ ability to bond with students, as well as their ability to make them excited to learn, herself included, which deeply inspired her to follow the same career path. She wanted to be a positive influence on students at some point in her life as her instructors once were to her.
“I had such an amazing experience and amazing teachers” said Ms. Heise. “I want to be that person for somebody [and] give somebody the experience I had.”
Ms. Heise had not always intended on teaching right out of high school. Her original plan was to study law and become a lawyer. However, studying law online during the COVID-19 pandemic was not ideal for her. Instead, she took up a semi-corporate position at a collection of art galleries, managing several assignments such as insurance claims, artist relations, public relations, and other behind the scenes tasks. While she believed it was a good job, it was not what she had envisioned her professional life to be.
“Even in a position that was somewhat corporate, I realized I hated corporate life,” said Ms. Heise.
Once she understood she did not want a traditional office job, Ms. Heise decided to pursue a career in teaching. With her degrees, she started to substitute at Stanton which only reaffirmed her desire to become a teacher.
“I loved subbing at Stanton. It gave me a great opportunity to get to know the students [and] build connections with [them] without the pressure of them being graded by me," said Ms. Heise.
With her new full-time position at Stanton, Ms. Heise is excited to transition into imparting knowledge on her students in a more formal setting. She hopes to foster the same environment she once received to her current and future students. She will continue building connections in school but only this time from a teacher’s perspective.
As for herself, Ms. Heise aims to have proper work-life balance, and is already enjoying her new job. After her year of substituting, she has familiarized herself with the work customs at Stanton.
“Every teacher that I know here is in a position that they want to be here,” said Ms. Heise. “Even if it might not seem like it at first glance, Stanton has a great culture of teachers who care about their students and are excited to teach you each day.”
As Ms. Heise joins this collective, she is ecstatic for her new career. With her vast knowledge and profound passion for teaching, she is sure to inspire her students in the same way her teachers once inspired her.