VITAL POLICY – Focus on Jefferson County CTE Education, Business Management and Accounting
Part Two Of Two
Teresa Adams is distinguished by 28 years teaching experience in the Business Management and Accounting Department at Jefferson County High School, one of three highly qualified instructors within the business cluster of CTE courses.
Adams, the senior faculty member of her department, shares the responsibility of teaching a variety of courses with Karen Rodgers and Bailey Sparks who were previously featured in the article linked here. VITAL POLICY – Focus on Jefferson County CTE Education, Business Management and Accounting | The Jefferson County Post
It takes a special teacher to win the hearts and minds of students, operate a student youth organization, lead the students to participate at the local, state and national levels, compete for titles at all levels, coach a sport, help produce the senior play, teach a full slate of classes, and mentor new teachers. According to her students, she makes it look easy, and they hold her in high esteem.
“Mrs. Adams is an amazing, outgoing teacher. I have had her for two years so far, and everything that she has taught me, I have applied to my daily life, whether it being work, school, applications, or future planning. I couldn’t ask for a better teacher to teach me necessary life skills.” – said Jaylea Mathis, Senior, JCHS
The current courses that Adams is assigned to teach are Business Communications and Personal Finance. A link to the state course standards is provided here. https://www.tn.gov/education/educators/career-and-technical-education/career-clusters.html
Future Business Leaders of America (FLBA) is the student youth organization for the department in which students earn advancement to TN State and national competition. Recently, six FBLA member students earned regional 1-4 placements to advance to state competition in April 2025. Last year, seven members earned an advance to nationals in Orlando based on their 1-4 state competition placements.
“I love what I teach. I do not have any problem making business connections to the “real world” in any of my curriculum. Whether it is making sure students understand the importance of knowing how financial institutions work and how vital it is to watch for fraud to the always changing marketing influences to improving the much-needed soft skills for interviews.
Teaching was not my desire when I began college, but a professor at East Tennessee State University noticed it in me during a marketing class and he suggested that I take an education class to try it out. My life was never the same after that.
Even though I have been teaching for almost thirty years, I am always changing my lessons to be more relevant to my students. I have seen a lot of adjustments to education – some for the best and some maybe not – but the importance of the students and them gaining the most from Jefferson County High School has never altered.” – said Teresa Adams
The countless hours that are spent after school and on the weekends grading papers and dreaming up new ways to teach and motivate students is paying off for students, evidenced by the following student comments.
“During my high school years, I have had the pleasure of being a student in Mrs. Adams classroom. Mrs. Adams has taught me many things outside of just learning about business and class work. She has shown me how to make the best of any situation, to try my hardest, and to think about the future. I like how she’s not just a teacher teaching a lesson. She makes sure to connect with and communicate to each of her students. If you put your mind to it, anything is possible! – Said Kaydence Jenkins.
“I have now had Ms. Adams for 2 years and she has always made learning fun. She constructs lessons that are not like ordinary book work or worksheet but instead completing a fun task which relates to the subject we are learning about. Some of her best lessons feel as if it was an art class which relates to the business topic. She always tries to engage with a student’s asking them about their interests and talking about
life outside of school. She relates to the students through her experiences as a teacher.” Quoting Henry Adams, “A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.” –said Student Jackson Ormonde, JCHS Student, Class of 2026
Teresa Adams has been a critical part of the growth of the business department over the past 28 years, stating “We continue to grow our advancing program. The state is always changing our goals, and we continue to work with those in order to provide the best possible opportunities for the business program of study students. We continue to emphasize that every career needs some type of business knowledge.”
The CTE Department at Jefferson County High School is under the expert direction of Missy Hayes.
David Seal is a retired Jefferson County educator, recognized artist, local businessman, 917 Society Volunteer, and current Chairman of the Jefferson County Republican Party. He has also served Jefferson County as a County Commissioner and is a citizen lobbyist for the people on issues such as eminent domain, property rights, education, and broadband accessibility on the state level.
