By GRAYSON LEE CAVALIERE
Rutherford County Schools
Jennifer Patterson is a physical education teacher at LaVergne Lake Elementary, and she rescues animals in her spare time. She’s the teacher you call if you have a lizard in your classroom or if you forgot your lunch at home.
Patterson is currently in her 26th year with Rutherford County Schools.
In this Q&A, Patterson talks about her experience coaching both high school students and elementary kids, as well as the transition from high school to kindergarten.
Tell me a little about yourself:
I’m Jennifer Patterson, a PE teacher here at LaVergne Lake Elementary School. I’m in my 26th year of teaching. I started out in Lawrence County at Summertown High School. Coaching was what took me there because I’ve always coached either high school, mostly high school, and middle school, whether it be basketball or softball. So, when I stopped working at Summertown I had friends working at (Roy) Waldron. My parents lived in Nashville, so I came back home and got hired. Mr. (Jeff) McCann eventually took over the principalship there, and then he became the principal here. When he came here, I really wanted to follow him. He’s just amazing. That’s why I’m still here because I love who I work for and work with.
What was it like teaching high school vs. teaching elementary kids?
Well, I’d never taught K-2 so it was a little scary, but I can’t imagine teaching any other grade level. I still coach high school ball. It was different because I first went to middle school, that’s where I really wanted to be. And then when McCann came here, I was like — I can do all things. It’s a change. It’s a huge change when you go from 13-, 14- and 15-year-olds to five- and four-year-olds. But I loved it. I can’t imagine being anywhere else.
Tell me about LaVergne Lake:
It’s a good school. It’s home. I can walk out these doors or in these doors and there’s a hug waiting for me. You can’t do that everywhere you work. We take care of each other. We have a lot of people who leave and then come back because they realize it’s such a family. I drive an hour to work every day because I like where I live, and I love it where I work. I love my principal. And the kids lift you up every day, and I know they say we lift them up, but oh my gosh, they come in and just make you feel special. I truly feel support here and not just academically, but emotionally and physically.
Why do you enjoy coaching?
I mean, I’ve just been athletic anyway, not that I couldn’t do academic courses to coaching, but I get to watch those kids grow up physically and emotionally. Coaching athletics for me, and that’s PE too, I am teaching them life skills. It’s about getting through hard times because you don’t always win. Adversity is in real life. And how do we handle adversity? How do we handle failure? We teach that and it’s huge. It’s just as important as being able to add and subtract and read. I love that aspect of it, whether it be the high school level or kindergarten.
What are the students at LaVergne Lake like?
I get so many hugs a day. Our kids are very loving. We have hard kids too — we have kids that don’t get a hug every day or who don’t get told they’re good. We have a very diverse group here, but every single one of them is shown love. They all get that. Kids here are amazing. That’s why I’m still here. Now I’m teaching some of my kid's kids.
When you retire, what do you want people to say about you?
That I made a difference for them, that I made a difference in their lives, that I gave unconditional love. That I cared. Sometimes kids don’t know, and you have to let them know that you do care. But yeah, I just think that I made a difference in their life and hopefully helped them in a better way. Sometimes I have kids that forgot money and I’m like, I got you. I’ll go scrounge up coins or a dollar or, if they don’t have any water today — I got you. I take care of them unconditionally, top to bottom, as if they were at home.
What else are you passionate about?
I rescue wild animals and take them to sanctuaries or rehab centers. I’ve spent six months helping people look for their dog. Every day I go and try to help find it. I love to rescue animals. I have a very big passion for nature. I’m the one around here that rescues the lizard running down the hallway. The spider. They’re all god’s creatures.