Ms. Dejonge is a new teacher this school year at Clearfield Area Junior Senior High School. She teaches in Extended Services, English IV and Civics. To help students get to know her a little more, she answered some questions listed below.

Q: What is your favorite/least favorite part of your job?

Ms. Dejonge: “My favorite part of teaching is getting to know all of my amazing students. I love being witness to growth, both in academics and in character. I feel privileged to be a part of that process for my students. By far, the least favorite part of my job is seeing how attached and dependent my students are to their phones. I feel like they are missing so much of the ‘here and now’ and are not learning what it means to be truly present.”

Q: Why did you decide to be a teacher?

Ms. Dejonge: “I had fabulous English teachers all though middle and high school. I can vividly remember Mr. Boyle jumping up and down on his desk exclaiming, ‘The author doesn’t put it there unless he wants you to know it!’ I have used that line more than once in my own English classes.”

Q: When did you start teaching?

Ms. Dejonge: “I stared teaching right out of college in 2013. I had a long-term sub gig, teaching European History. I then was hired as an English teacher at a young men’s correctional facility.”

Q: Why did you decide to teach at this school?

Ms. Dejonge: “I moved from Montana back to the area last summer. In the midst of Covid, I was not eager to be a substitute, and at the time very few districts were hiring.  I accepted a position working in adoptions at Children’s Aid Society.  I was thrilled when I heard that Clearfield was hiring. It is my Alma Mater. I graduated in the class of ’09.”

Q: What subject do you teach?

Ms. Dejonge: “I am currently teaching in the Extended Services. I have an English IV class and two Civics I classes in addition to my Extended Services classes.”

Q: Who inspired you to be a teacher?

Ms. Dejonge: “My inspiration came from a culmination of many wonderful teachers, some of whom are still teaching at Clearfield. But ultimately, the one person who had the biggest impact on me becoming a teacher was Shinia Twain, the country singer. For the longest time, I wanted to be ‘the next Shinia Twain’. Alas, I came to the truthfully painful conclusion that there could only be one Shinia, and I began planning my future as a teacher. Teaching is sometimes a performance of art, you will have fans, and those who criticize you ‘art’. Honestly, I am so happy to have a career that involves helping someone to realize their own potential and achieve there dreams.”

Q: Where are you from?

Ms. Dejonge: “I am from Clearfield. I went to Bradford Elementary School, Clearfield Middle School and then the High School.”

Q: Where did you graduate college?

Ms. Dejonge: “Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA. Home of Arnold Palmer, Fred Rogers, and the Pittsburgh Steelers pre-season training camp. Ask me about my Polamalu encounter sometime.”

Q: What are your hobbies?

Ms. Dejonge: “I play guitar and can knit pretty well. I find it very important to take care of the earth. So, I spend a lot of time recycling, composting, and thinking of creative ways to reuse single-use objects. My husband and I are in the beginning process of homesteading, with the ultimate goal of growing/raising 60% of the food that we consume. I am an avid reader. My favorite author is Tom Robbins. The first time I read one of his books was in high school. It completely changed the way I viewed the world and perhaps my trajectory as a person. My absolute favorite ‘hobby’ right now is spending time with my son, Abe. He is two and a half years old. Abe and I spend a lot of time watching birds, taking walks in the woods, and playing the ukulele.”

Q: What else do you want people to know about you?

Ms. Dejonge: “As a teacher, I think academics are very important. However, I believe that having a strong character and a kind heart can open just as many doors. I grade A LOT of papers, and grades become a blur to me. I am not a numbers person. On the flip side, observing students’ acts of kindness stick with me. It makes me so proud when a student is reflecting the values of the school with Courtesy, Honor, and Service.”