Algebra I teacher, Deja James, was a mighty Hooks Hornet herself before graduating and going to the University of Central Arkansas in Conway. Her original plan was to get a nursing degree, but within her studies, she changed her mind three times before finally obtaining a degree in psychology. For Ms. James, earning her degree was not easy. While some classes were harder than others, all in all, it was doable. Still, she thought it was challenging and wouldn’t call it easy.
With that degree, she wanted to pursue school counseling, but to do that, she needed teaching experience. Since Ms. Shannon was Ms. James’ school counselor, she felt comfortable coming back to Hooks and started teaching there in 2021. Now, all she had to do was find a subject.
“I really enjoy it here, and I enjoy it a lot more than I thought I would,” Ms. James said.
Originally, she was going to teach history or science. After Mrs. Teresa Kuhn, Ms. James’ own math teacher, encouraged her to pursue math, she finally decided to become an Algebra I teacher. After all, math had always been one of Ms. James’ favorite subjects; she just didn’t think she was good enough to teach it.
When Ms. James first started, she was a teacher’s aide and worked in many different classes. After that, she taught Biology before moving on to Algebra I. Her favorite class to teach is the math lab because she doesn’t have much pressure. It is more of a tutoring session than a high-pressure EOC testing class. Another reason Ms. James finds the math lab fun is that she gets to work with Algebra II teacher Ms. Naomi Griffin.
“In my opinion, it’s still fun because it’s still math, but I’m not actually teaching anything,” Ms. James said.
Her favorite part of being a teacher is when information clicks in the students’ minds. At first, they won’t get it, but as the unit progresses, it becomes clearer, and students understand what’s being taught. That moment will always be Ms. James’ favorite part of teaching.
If you are taking Ms. James’ class, her advice is to listen when she speaks. She provides important information that will help with the work. She also encourages students to keep trying, even if they don’t understand at first, because it will get easier.
Ms. James’ favorite quote is, “Dory just keep swimming, just keep going, just keep living your life, keep trying don’t give up,” from the movie “Finding Dory.”
