Instructional Coach

Jamie Rushton brings a variety of teaching experiences to her role as a mentor, coach, and leader as the Instructional Coach for UDS. She earned her Bachelors of Arts in Education and Studio Arts at Drury University in Springfield, Missouri. From there she went right into the classroom, teaching high school art classes for 7 years at the second largest district in Missouri. During this time she earned her Masters of Art in Studio Art at Drury University. Jamie also spent time training to facilitate professional development courses in Cooperative Learning.

 

In 2012 Jamie and her husband made the decision to take an adventure and leave Missouri to move to San Francisco. There she decided to change course and get a certification in Special Education. She went back to school and earned a second masters degree, Masters of Art in Education as Education Specialist. Jamie took a job in San Francisco teaching a combination of Special Education classes and Art at Thurgood Marshall Academic High School. Jamie was the Math Special Day Class instructor, co-taught in general education and managed a caseload of 9th-12th graders with IEPs. In 2017 Jamie became the Special Education Department Chair and  oversaw 100 students with IEPs, teachers, and instructional aides. 

 

While teaching at Thurgood Marshall Academic High School, San Francisco Unified School District partnered with Stanford's Design Thinking lab. Jamie was chosen as a part of the first cohort of teachers and staff to be trained to utilize Design Thinking in the classroom. This experience has helped shape her role as the Instructional Coach at UDS.

 

After having two daughters, Jamie and her family moved to San Diego in 2018. This is when she joined UDS! Jamie was the Studio Art teacher at UDA for 3 years before stepping into the role of Instructional Coach. She brings enthusiasm, a kind approach and a variety of experiences into the coaching role.