Winthrop High School is full of so many amazing staff members spanning over all subjects! Although all of them deserve appreciation and spotlight, The Viking Times decided to focus on one particular teacher this week: Mrs. Jasper!  She is a passionate and engaging gym and health teacher. Personally, I had her freshman year and always felt very supported and safe within her class! I don’t want to spoil too much about her, as all of that will be answered in the questions we lined up for her. Without further ado, here’s all you need to know about Mrs. Jasper: 

First I asked Mrs. Jasper questions about her teaching life: 

Zoe: Do you enjoy being a teacher? 

Mrs. Jasper: I do! These past couple of years have definitely been challenging, but I’m hoping moving forward we can get back to where we were.

Zoe: When did you become a teacher?

Mrs. Jasper: I became a teacher right out of college at age 22.

Zoe: Have you always wanted to become a teacher?

Mrs. Jasper: My mom was a teacher, so it was definitely something that always interested me. I would say student teaching during college solidified my decision in becoming a teacher.

Zoe: Do you want to continue to be a teacher? 

Mrs. Jasper: That’s the plan!

Zoe: What led you to work at Winthrop High School?

Mrs. Jasper: I worked at a private school in Brookline my first year out of college, but only covering for a leave, so I needed to find something after that. I knew I wanted to stay in the Boston area, and a job in Winthrop became available!

Zoe: What aspect of Winthrop High do you enjoy the most?
Mrs. Jasper: I like that the school has a smaller population, allowing teachers to get to have almost all the students (at least in PE). I also really like my coworkers (shoutout Wellness Warriors!).

Zoe: Do you have a preference between teaching more sports related activities in the gym or teaching health in the classroom? If so, why?
Mrs. Jasper: I definitely prefer teaching in the gym. There is so much more space, and I find kids really need to move around during the day.

Then I asked Mrs. Jasper questions about where she came from: 

Zoe: Did you spend your entire childhood in Canada?
Mrs.Jasper: I did! I came to the US to go to University because I received an athletic scholarship.

Zoe: What is your favorite thing about Canada? 

Mrs.Jasper:  My family is there.

Zoe: How would you compare it to the United States? Do you like either place better?
Mrs.Jasper: Canada is a lot more laid back with very nice people. The landscape is also beautiful, especially out west. I love where I live now, but I also love Canada.

Zoe: Do you ever plan on moving back there?
Mrs.Jasper: Probably not. 

Next, I asked Mrs. Jasper questions about her more personal life: 

Zoe: You currently live in New Hampshire, so is there a reason you chose to live up there and commute down here to Winthrop everyday, or is that just the way it worked out? (No judgment at all)
Mrs.Jasper: I used to live in Boston, but my husband wanted to open his own gym (he also worked in Boston), and we chose NH! I wasn’t ready to leave my job here, so I decided to commute. 

Zoe: Have you ever considered moving closer to Winthrop? 
Mrs.Jasper I lived in Boston for 7 years while working in Winthrop!

Zoe: I’ve heard you own a gym up in New Hampshire, how was the process of getting that up and running? Have you always known that you wanted to open some sort of gym?
Mrs.Jasper: A lot of hard work! It is what my husband does for a living, so I only work there part time. He has always been a trainor, so it was definitely always his plan to own his own gym. It was stressful to move from Boston and have to start brand new, but we love it!

Finally, I asked Mrs.Jasper about her traveling life: 

Zoe: I know that you travel tons and tons, what is your favorite thing about traveling?
Mrs.Jasper: Exploring different parts of the world and immersing myself in the culture. There are so many places that are so different from where we live, it’s cool to experience that even if it’s just for a trip.

Zoe: How often do you travel? Do you wish you could travel more?
Mrs.Jasper: I travel pretty often. On weekends we stick to areas in New England with our truck camper, and then we go on a couple bigger/longer trips throughout the year.

Zoe: What is your favorite place you have visited?
Mrs.Jasper Oh this is really tough. I’ll narrow it down to three. Alaska, Western Canada (Alberta/BC) and Santorini, Greece.

That’s all but we hope you enjoyed learning a bit more about Mrs.Jasper just as much as we did. If you see her in the hallways, make sure to wave or strike up a conversation! As I mentioned before, she is an incredibly nice person! Thank you again Mrs. Jasper!