Although only 18 years old, Jessica Watson, who Is both
Lebanon Area and Pennsylvania Runner-Up Fair Queen,
excels In music, drama, dance, and leadership. Through her
parents’ persistent training, Jessica said that she learned to
channel her boundless energy sometimes labeled ‘‘hyper
activity” Into positive outlets.
LOU ANN GOOD
Lancaster Fanning Staff
KLEINFELTERSVILLE
(Lebanon Co.) —The name Jessi
ca Watson keeps popping up in the
news: Lebanon Fair Queen, Pen
nsylvania Alternate Fair Queen,
numerous speech and essay
awards, soloist, actress,
model...
In 18 yean, Jessica has packed a
wallop of achievements into her
life. Her vibrant energy and enthu
siasm is contagious to those
around her.
Jessica exhibited an abundance
of energy ever since her birth.
Parents Jeff and Laura-Jean Wat
son tell how Jessica at six months
pushed her toys into a heap in order
to crawl out of the playpen. Family
friends labeled Jessica hyperac
tive. Her parents considered it a
challenge to channel Jessica’s
energy into positive outlets.
“I found that she learns diffe
rently than our other three daught
ers,” Laura-Jean said. “She’s right
brain dominant”
Always a social butterfly, Jessi
ca quickly endeared herself to her
kindergarten teacher. But social
skills can’t atone for lade of scho
lastic ability. By the end of her kin
dergarten year, Jessica had not
mastered the alphabet
Although not schooled in teach
ing, Laura-Jean had read that
children learn best by involving all'
five senses. She thought up origi
nal ways to have Jessica leant die
alphabet by tracing letters with her
fingers and saying them aloud.
“This included her sense of touch,
hearing, and seeing,” Mrs. Watson
said.
Within three days Jessica had
mastered the alphabet
Convinced that Jessica could
leant if she were taught differently
than traditional methods, her
mother campaigned to home
school her for one year.
Eighteen years ago, home
schooling was rare and frowned
upon. Even Jessica’s dad was
skeptical but both be and the
Home With The Watson Family
school agreed to give home
schooling a one-year trial period.
When Jessica rejoined her class
the following year, her reading
skills were above all her class
mates. But the classroom was a
turbulent battleground involving a
frustrated teacher and many out
of-control students. Easily dis
tracted by the commotion, Jessica
lagged behind until by the third
grade her achievement serves were
actually lower than those tested the
previous year.
Alarmed, her parents believed
they had no choice but to
homeschooL
“I have a lot of respect for teach
ers. Joyce, our oldest daughter, did
great in the classroom.” Laura-
Jean said. “But each child is diffe
rent And we need to do what is
best for the child.”
Laura-Jean read profusely,
looking for teaching methods that
she could adapt in tutoring Jessica.
Although Jessica had 20/20 vis
ion, in-depth testing by an ophthal
mologist showed that Jessica’s
eyes did not function together. In
addition, her eyes did not refocus
when she glanced from her desk to
the chalkboard.
Vision therapy improved Jessi
ca’s focusing ability. But it didn’t
correct the whole problem.
Jessica is very Imaginative. Just
mentioning concepts such as “it’s
snowing ice cream” sent ha mind
spinning in all directions and made
it difficult for ha to concentrate on
the task at hand.
Her mother realized that the
more senses involved in learning,
the easia it was for Jessica to
learn. Jessica also had to learn to
discipline herself to concentrate
and not become distracted.
Persistance paid off. Within the
fust year, Jessica completed curri
culum for two years. She excelled
in science and history, but needed
to study harder to grasp math
concepts.
“The neat thing about home
schooling is that you can work on a
subject you like all day, but just do
ffOME
Personalities and learning styles vary among the sisters, but they share much the
same Interests and say they are best friends. Jessica, light, and her oldest sister Joy
ce, who was at work when this picture was taken, co-direct the Joyful Noise, a travel
ing group composed of about 50 Inter-city youth who Incorporate music, drama, and
dance In programs. Jennifer, center, and Jacqueline, left, assist their sisters In the
Joyful Noise and In providing peer leadership in the Youth For Christ organization.
die minimal requirements on a
subject you don’t enjoy as much,”
Jessica said.
As her younger sisters Jennifer
and Jacqueline watched Jessica
work on her lessons, they too
wanted to be home-schooled.
Meanwhile, the Watson’s eldest
daughter continued to excel in the
classroom but begged also to be
home-schooled.
Her parents pushed off her
requests until 10th grade when she
For Jeff Watson, being adad of Jessica means serving as
teacher, supporter, and even escort like at this event when
she was crowned Pennsylvania’s Runner-Up State Fair
Queen. As fair queen, Jessica encourages youth participa
tion In community fairs. These and other pageants are also,
a great source of scholarship money for her.
commented that her parents didn’t
love her as much as her sisters
because they didn’t homeschool
her.
“That did it,” Laura-Jean said.
In a role as both mother and
teacher. Laura-Jean often told her
daughters, “The most important
thing is to do your best—not
necessarily to get an A.”
She recalled how easy it was for
Joyce to earn A’s in the public
school without really doing her
best “Teachers didn’t really know
what she was capable of doing,”
said her mother, who recalls that
one time she asked Joyce to
improve a research paper that had
been an A to an A+.
Laura-Jean searched for curri
culum to benefit the learning styles
of each daughter.
“We seldom reused the same
curriculum because what seemed
best for one wasn’t necessarily the
best for die other,” Laura-Jean
said.
As mother and teacher, she said
it was important to differentiate
between laziness and actual
frustration.
“Dad is a great history teacher,”
Jessica said. “He remembers dates,
names, places—l don’t know how
he does it.
“And he taught us science. We
live across from Middle Creek
(Wildlife Management System),
and he takes us for walks and tells
us the name of every flower and
plant”
The Watsons live modestly.
Laura-Jean is a full-time mother
and Jeff works for a seed company.
The Watsons teach their children
that if God wants them to do some
thing, he will provide the finances.
They do not believe in incurring
debt—not even for college.
“So many people have car and
college debts that they aren’t free
to do what they want and feel they
should do,” Laura-Jean said.
They have- instilled this belief
into the children at a young age.
When Joyce was six years old
and Jessica, two, they began taking
dance lessons paid for by their
grandmother.
When her grandmother no lon
ger paid for the lessons, Jessica
paid for them herself by working at
cleaning jobs. Now she teaches
dance to preschoolers at classes
held at ABC Day Care and at Uni
versal Fitness and Racquet Center.
“I think I have a greater under
standing and patience with pre-
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