Where did you grow up/ attend school? How is RHHS different from when you were here?
“I grew up in Rocky Hill, born and raised. I went to West Hill, I went to GMS, and then I came here to Rocky Hill High School. Then, I left Rocky Hill High School, we call those the lost years, and I went to the University of Saint Joseph in West Hartford.”
“It’s funny; sometimes I feel like things are always the same. High school students are always the same, but at the same time it is not the high school I went to. People think it is really crazy that some of us come back here, but it is so different when you come back and you are on the other side of things. High school is a lot about the people who are here, and the class of 2009 is not here anymore.”
Describe your childhood in one word:
“Fun.”
Describe a typical day in the life of Jillian Barry, age 17:
“Roll out of bed at 7:06 [A.M], but don’t be late for school. I was never late, I cut it close, but I was never late. I would drive to school. I would sit in school. I worked a lot of jobs; I was a waitress, I taught dance, and I also danced myself, so every day, there was something. I was the editor of the Entertainment section of the Broadside so I always had meetings. I was the president of the National Honors Society.”
“There were a lot of days when I was just running around from place to place. Get home late, stay up really really late doing homework, and go to bed.”
Is there anything you wish you had done differently during your student years?
“No, I think I am a very different person now in terms of time management and insight, but no, I wouldn’t change a thing. It is all part of getting here. And, there is no time for time management in high school, right? Come on; you have got to be realistic.”
Who did you consider a role model when you were growing up?
“I had several. One that comes to mind is one of my high school English teachers who isn’t here anymore. She was one of the most brilliant people, and when I teach I think about her a lot. She was the kind of teacher I always wanted to be. And of course, my parents.”
“There are a lot of valuable people that I have learned a lot of things from. I think everyone can teach you something.”
What was your favorite band when you were in high school?
“Red Hot Chili Peppers. And they still are my favorite band. I had a pair of sneakers with the red asterisk painted on the side–high top converse. “
How have you changed since high school?
I actually feel like I am a very different person than I was in high school. I think I was quieter and less sure of myself. I remember realizing who I was when I got to college, and I think that makes such a difference, but I was a little lost in high school.
What is your favorite memory as a teacher?
“Right now, I just think about how much fun I get to have. I have such wonderful students this year. I really like my job. I get to come to a job where I have a really good time and really interesting conversions.”
Do you have any special talents?
“I did dance competitively when I was in high school and I can still keep up. I am a dancer I guess. Weird obscure talents, probably not. I can organize a mean spreadsheet. I can color code like you wouldn’t believe.”
What quality do you admire most in other people?
“Brilliance, and brilliance comes in so many different forms. When people are experts about things. When people know things, and even if they don’t know things, when they are open . Brilliance comes in a lot of forms.”
What is the most difficult part of your job?
“Making sure you’re staying on top of everything and no one is slipping through the cracks. Spending a little time every day knowing I have a 100 of you and spreading the resource of me and making sure you are all good to go.”
What do you look forward to everyday?
“Being in my classroom and doing what I do. I have a hard time when summer gets here.”
What would you like to accomplish in the next 20 years?
“I definitely want to go back to school. I love being a student and I have to figure out where and how I want to do that. I got my masters at Wesleyan and I loved that, so I am thinking about possibly doing that again and getting a second masters there. Education is so important to me; I become a better teacher through it.”
What do you recommend students should do before graduating high school?
“Enjoy this time in your lives. And that is so cheesy and it is coming from a person who by the end of their senior year was ready to roll. Have fun and enjoy each other. If I had a regret it would be that I was surrounded by a lot of really cool people in high school that I never talked to or connected.”
If you had to come up with a book to describe yourself, what would it be called?
“Exceptionally Average. “