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Learn More About Jamie's Experience:

general music I have been a musician since I was a child. I have played the piano, flute, and viola; however, the majority of my musical training has taken place on the French horn. I can read in all clefs, but am most proficient in treble. I attended many summer camps and sessions at Florida State University while in high school and participated in marching band all the way through college. In fact, I planned on being a band director until English took over as the primary love of my life. I have taught several students during summer band camps in both musical and marching fundamentals, and I can honestly say music is much a part of me as writing and reading. I currently play in my church orchestra with my husband who is a trombone player and holds a degree in musical performance. grammar I have always thought grammar to be the most difficult of all the elements of English; however, I truly learned it from the ground up during the year in which I taught seventh grade reading and writing. Getting down to brass tacks and forcing myself to learn the material well enough to teach it to others helped me to truly own the material for the first time. Now, I like to encorporate it into every class I each as it has always proven to be a weak point in each student's learning. I took several classes in grammar during my time at Valdosta State University, culminating in a class called ENC 3080, Advanced Grammar and Mechanics. It was a tough course, but one that taught me much not only about what was correct, but also why it was! I find grammar challenging and enjoyable, and with each year I teach, I come to understand the value of gramatical structure in reading comprehension, writing and speaking clarity, and organization. I feel it is a subject severely lacking in our text messaging world.