Teacher Feature – Mrs. Cox (2012)
Janie Cox has always been passionate and willing to learn and try new things. She didn’t always, however, want to be a teacher. She began her teaching career as a music instructor at Tiffany and East Lake Elementary schools prior to becoming a regular classroom teacher. She often leads musical skits during HILLTOP assemblies and incorporates her knowledge of music in her classroom teaching. "I never planned on becoming a teacher until I volunteered in my children's classrooms and really enjoyed the experience," said Mrs. Cox who is now in her 12th year as a first grade teacher at HILLTOP.
She sees teaching as a “special calling” and shares her passion and love for both teaching and learning with her students every day. "There's so much I love about teaching; the students and families at HILLTOP and the community we are, the creativity and personality of the kids, and the excitement and desire to learn that first graders have," said Mrs. Cox. She particularly enjoys it when "the light goes on" and children learn to read or when a child has struggled with a math concept and all of a sudden they “get it”.
Mrs. Cox feels her main role in the classroom is to teach and that means knowing what the state expects first graders to know and be able to do (the state standards for first grade) and be prepared every day to help them to accomplish these requirements. “I also think a teacher is a role model for students. There’s a saying that says you teach me with your words, but you show me with your life actions what you want me to know. I want kids to know how to treat others and how to be content and happy in their lives.”
Teaching is very challenging and like all teachers, she finds that there is so much to do in the time frame given. “My biggest challenge is meeting the needs of such a diverse group of children that come in with different backgrounds, cultures, experiences, languages, and academic abilities. I want each child to feel and be successful.”
Although there is no typical day in her classroom, each day is filled with lots of reading, writing, thinking, math, and singing. She likes for her students to think for themselves, be good listeners, and learn from their peers. “I tell them to be responsible for what they can do, do it well, and take pride in it.”
Mrs. Cox feels that reading is extremely important in first grade. “If they are struggling with reading they will struggle in other areas. Reading is the foundation to learning so I work on it every day by helping children develop decoding and comprehension skills.” If a child is not reading when they enter first grade, Mrs. Cox tells parents she will “give their child a gift that will never be taken away”, that being the ability to read.
During the past several years, she has taken on the role of master teacher mentoring several student teachers as they enter the profession. “I really enjoy working with them, welcoming them into the classroom and sharing my passion for teaching with them.” She is also often called upon to fill in as “acting principal” when Mrs. Parker is off-campus.
Mrs. Cox enjoys collaborating with her fellow first grade teachers (Mrs. Marty Crooks, Mrs. Rose Goodwin, and Mrs. Mary Ann Valen) to develop curriculum maps, review student work, and plan upcoming lessons. “I love the team of dedicated teachers I work with and we like to build on each others’ strengths. We have also built up a lot of friendship and trust.”
She attended college at the University of Southern Mississippi and majored in Liberal Studies with a minor in Music. She later earned a masters degree from Golden Gate Seminary. While doing missionary work in Liberia through the Southern Baptist Convention, she met her husband ,Russ, who is now the senior pastor at the New Hope Community Church in Chula Vista. They recently celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary and have two children, a daughter, Rachel, who lives in San Francisco and a son, Chris, who is attending college at Brandman in San Diego. In her spare time, Mrs. Cox enjoys traveling, going to the movies, reading, and volunteering at her church.
Janie Cox has always been passionate and willing to learn and try new things. She didn’t always, however, want to be a teacher. She began her teaching career as a music instructor at Tiffany and East Lake Elementary schools prior to becoming a regular classroom teacher. She often leads musical skits during HILLTOP assemblies and incorporates her knowledge of music in her classroom teaching. "I never planned on becoming a teacher until I volunteered in my children's classrooms and really enjoyed the experience," said Mrs. Cox who is now in her 12th year as a first grade teacher at HILLTOP.
She sees teaching as a “special calling” and shares her passion and love for both teaching and learning with her students every day. "There's so much I love about teaching; the students and families at HILLTOP and the community we are, the creativity and personality of the kids, and the excitement and desire to learn that first graders have," said Mrs. Cox. She particularly enjoys it when "the light goes on" and children learn to read or when a child has struggled with a math concept and all of a sudden they “get it”.
Mrs. Cox feels her main role in the classroom is to teach and that means knowing what the state expects first graders to know and be able to do (the state standards for first grade) and be prepared every day to help them to accomplish these requirements. “I also think a teacher is a role model for students. There’s a saying that says you teach me with your words, but you show me with your life actions what you want me to know. I want kids to know how to treat others and how to be content and happy in their lives.”
Teaching is very challenging and like all teachers, she finds that there is so much to do in the time frame given. “My biggest challenge is meeting the needs of such a diverse group of children that come in with different backgrounds, cultures, experiences, languages, and academic abilities. I want each child to feel and be successful.”
Although there is no typical day in her classroom, each day is filled with lots of reading, writing, thinking, math, and singing. She likes for her students to think for themselves, be good listeners, and learn from their peers. “I tell them to be responsible for what they can do, do it well, and take pride in it.”
Mrs. Cox feels that reading is extremely important in first grade. “If they are struggling with reading they will struggle in other areas. Reading is the foundation to learning so I work on it every day by helping children develop decoding and comprehension skills.” If a child is not reading when they enter first grade, Mrs. Cox tells parents she will “give their child a gift that will never be taken away”, that being the ability to read.
During the past several years, she has taken on the role of master teacher mentoring several student teachers as they enter the profession. “I really enjoy working with them, welcoming them into the classroom and sharing my passion for teaching with them.” She is also often called upon to fill in as “acting principal” when Mrs. Parker is off-campus.
Mrs. Cox enjoys collaborating with her fellow first grade teachers (Mrs. Marty Crooks, Mrs. Rose Goodwin, and Mrs. Mary Ann Valen) to develop curriculum maps, review student work, and plan upcoming lessons. “I love the team of dedicated teachers I work with and we like to build on each others’ strengths. We have also built up a lot of friendship and trust.”
She attended college at the University of Southern Mississippi and majored in Liberal Studies with a minor in Music. She later earned a masters degree from Golden Gate Seminary. While doing missionary work in Liberia through the Southern Baptist Convention, she met her husband ,Russ, who is now the senior pastor at the New Hope Community Church in Chula Vista. They recently celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary and have two children, a daughter, Rachel, who lives in San Francisco and a son, Chris, who is attending college at Brandman in San Diego. In her spare time, Mrs. Cox enjoys traveling, going to the movies, reading, and volunteering at her church.