As you walk through the classrooms of the C-Building,  it’s hard to ignore walls covered in Oregon Duck memorabilia and Bart Simpson posters.  English teacher Jocelyn Dolan has a classroom that stands out, just like her personality and teaching methods.

Dolan, who has been teaching for 14 years, went to college in Oregon, and earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology at Western Oregon University (WOU).

Although she originally attended WOU, she has been a die-hard Oregon Ducks fan since her family started attending games in her childhood. “I decided that if I want to be a part of the family, that’s who I better cheer for,” Dolan states.

Ironically, she earned a master’s degree  in education at Oregon State University (OSU), which is the Duck’s arch-rival.

Since her family supports the University of Oregon, when she got accepted into the master’s program at OSU, her family ridiculed her relentlessly, which still continues to this day.

“I can’t even hang my [OSU] diploma on the wall because my family makes fun of me,” she explained.

Dolan worked in psychology for a year before discovering that her true passion was for teaching. She explains that talking to the students at her friend’s school was more fun than her current job, and that inspired her to become a teacher.

“[When] I called the school of education, they laughed at me,” she said. They said, “‘what do you want to teach?’ I said, ‘Psychology.’”

After completing her master’s program at OSU, there was no way she could have predicted the next decade of her career. She taught at two different East Valley junior high schools before making the jump to Perry in 2009 as an English teacher. It was not until this fall that she finally got a chance to teach the subject she truly loves: psychology – and even that did not come easy.

In July, Dolan and her husband, John, adopted a baby girl. The adoption happened just as the school year was beginning, which meant that life would take precedence over her first opportunity to teach AP Psychology, as she would take six weeks off for maternity leave.

While she explains, “trying to balance being a mom and trying to build a new program has been exhausting,” she “had mixed feelings about coming back,” leaving her daughter Emelia in day care to return to teaching.

AP Psychology student Alicia Kriner appreciates the obvious love Dolan offers to her students everyday.  She describes, “She’s a teacher but she’s also like a friend in a way. It’s comfortable in her class.”

“That is something that is kind of rare, to find a teacher that has two areas that they can teach,” Principal Dan Serrano said, “she’s a really good English teacher.”

Dolan explains, “I strive to teach students content as well as help them realize that there is more to life than being a good student.” To her, teaching is about helping students see themselves beyond the classroom and the grade.