Jessica Wheeler

Jessica Wheeler didn’t take a straight path back to the classroom — but teaching was always the destination. Now an ESL residency teacher at James Kenan High School, Wheeler brings a wide range of experiences to her students.

She earned a degree in Spanish from Franciscan University of Steubenville and began her career teaching Spanish at a private school in Virginia. After that first year, she stepped away from the profession for more than a decade, spending 12 years as a military spouse and stay-at-home mother.

When her youngest child started kindergarten, Wheeler returned to teaching, working for seven years at a private school in Eastern North Carolina. She taught Spanish across grade levels, from elementary through high school, before deciding it was time to pursue a long-term goal.

“When a public school ESL position opened, I immediately applied,” she said. “Teaching has always provided me the opportunity to satisfy my intellectual curiosity while simultaneously helping students experience success.”

To meet North Carolina licensure requirements, Wheeler worked with Duplin County Schools’ licensing department and explored several pathways before enrolling in the post-baccalaureate certificate program in Teaching English as a Second Language at UNCW’s Watson College of Education. The program leads to K-12 ESL licensure.

Wheeler said the program’s structure made it possible to balance her many responsibilities.

“There were times when it was difficult to juggle a full-time teaching job, being a mother, going back to school and working a part-time job,” she said. “However, the online, asynchronous nature of the program — along with the flexibility offered by professors when life threw curveballs — made it accessible and earning licensure attainable.”

Wheeler completed her graduate certificate in May and is now fully licensed to teach ESL in North Carolina.

She encourages others considering a career in education to explore the same pathway.

“I would, and have, encouraged others interested in moving into the teaching profession to explore the residency program here at UNCW,” she said.