Jean Porter is an Engineering teacher. “My name is Jean Sassy Porter. Yes, my maiden name is Sassy and I loved it. I have two Master’s degrees in Engineering. That’s where I started my career. I used to

work for IBM. When I was in graduate school I worked for NASA. I helped put the very first satellite in space that had on-board data processing, so I was proud of that. When I was with IBM, I researched flat panel display technology, got patents with back-lighting liquid displays, and also created the controller chip and controller software to drive a full-screen flat LCD panel on a computer, so that was the forerunner to making a laptop. So, I got to do all that cool work in the 80’s and early 90’s. Before I left IBM, they put me on the executive fast track to be trained to become a leader of the company,” said Porter.

After IBM and NASA

“I became a full-time mom and a volunteer to give back to the community, and I started having a family. Within 21 months I had three children. I had my son and 21 months later I gave birth to identical twin girls. I suddenly discovered what I really wanted to do next was be a full-time mom. I went home for 17 years and raised my children. In the meantime, I became a community volunteer and served on the Art Advisory Council for Georgetown College. I was also on the Board of Directors for Lexington Ballet and Lexington Children’s Theater. I became a TV commercial actress and a freelance writer writing articles on education and the arts.”

On to Teaching

After volunteering and raising her children, she decided to become a teacher. “Then about 13 years ago, when my daughters were seniors in high school, I walked into the Principal’s office at Scott County High School where they were going and I realized that I have been doing volunteer work out there and helping with tutoring and there might be something I could teach. The principal at the school said he knew I didn’t have any education background, as my background was engineering, but he let me start teaching computer-aided design classes and Geometry classes. The following year, I discovered the Project Lead the Way engineering curriculum and I brought that to Scott County High School. I taught there for six more years teaching Engineering classes. Seven years ago I came to WCHS to continue the engineering program. So now I teach five classes of an engineering curriculum.”

Porter chose to be an engineer because, “I love math, science, problem-solving, and critical thinking. I was good at physics and math so that plugged in well in with engineering. Then I became a full-time mom because I love being with my kids. Studying about child development and how children learn, then apply that knowledge to help my kids grow. Then I realized when they became teenagers, I really liked this teaching gig that I was doing with my own children, I wanted to be a teacher for other people’s children as well. I found out my love for teaching came from teaching my own children.”

Digital Electronics is one of the classes she teaches. “It’s such a specialized skill and it is what I exactly did as a premier was electrical engineer, so that’s my favorite class. All the classes I teach are very special and I love watching younger students prepare to take that class. It’s a three-year class.”

Mrs. Porter says her best memories are “any time a student discovers this path that they didn’t know about initially, and didn’t realize that they could do this type of work and they get excited about it because it is fascinating work and they never get bored. Also helping students discover a good fit for them. If it isn’t engineering, I can still be here to help students find a better fit or pursuit for them.”

The basic rules of engineering are as follows: “Safety is the absolute number one. While you’re working with this dangerous equipment or dangerous chemicals (depending what field you’re in) you might be out in dangerous environments. Everything you do must be done correctly; never cheat on a safety test.”

Porter said engineering is fun because, “It’s the excitement of every day being different. Every problem is new. You don’t ask an engineer something that has already been solved. It is always about overcoming failure. When you are doing something you love, you make the risk and need the encouragement to step up to that.”

One of Porter’s encouraging sayings is: “I think students at WCHS are the most phenomenal young people I have ever met, and I am very hopeful for the future knowing that you all are preparing to lead it.”

Thank you, Ms. Porter, for everything you have done for the community and for this school. The mark your classes have left in our school and community are appreciated each and every day!