Marietta kindergarten teacher Jaime Hartman is relatively new to Marietta, having joined
the staff in August 2021. She’s also relatively new to the entire state of Oklahoma,
having moved from California around the same time.
Hartman was raised in southern California and graduated from Don Antonio Lugo High
School in Chino in 1998. She earned her bachelor’s degree at California State
Polytechnic University, better known as “Cal Poly,” a school that’s attended by twice as
many students as there are people in Love County.
To begin with, education was not in Hartman’s master plan. She had begun college as a
Political Science major, intending to go to law school, but then discovered she hated
those classes.
“I dropped it all and decided to take my general education requirements and see if I
could figure out a path,” explained Harman. “I was in an early education class and had
to make my own lessons, and one day my nephew was playing with some of the things
I’d made for my class, and I thought, ‘This is fun!’”
Hartman had always liked children, so her future path soon fell into place. Because she
couldn’t teach in California with a bachelor’s degree in liberal studies, she returned to
school at Chapman University to get her teaching credentials.
After that, Hartman began working for the Ontario Mont Clair district, where she
remained until the move to Oklahoma, teaching third, fourth, and first grades, mostly
first grade. She was hired at Marietta to teach kindergarten, which, according to
Hartman, was a big shift.
“In California we had half-day kindergarten, so having the little kids all day, it’s tough at
the beginning of the year,” she explained. “It takes them a while to get adjusted to such
a long day and until they do, they’re exhausted. I have kids that would fall asleep while
they’re waiting to get picked up. But they’re used to it now.”
During the past 2 ½ years, Hartman has come to enjoy teaching kindergarteners.
“I love the kids!” she commented. “It takes a while for them to fall into a routine and
learn to follow directions, but once they grasp what you’re trying to teach, they soar.
They learn so much and at such a fast pace. To be a part of that process is great, to
see them learn and start doing things independently, it’s great.”
But making the transition to kindergarten – and education in Oklahoma – hasn’t been a
total stroll through the tulips.
“I worked for the second largest district in the state of California, so we had abundant
resources and there were people in the district who did curriculum mapping for us,”
explained Hartman. “Here, I’m in a much smaller district, and I’m trying to find the time
to look for my own resources and dive into my own curriculum. But on the flip side, I
have more freedom with my curriculum here than I used to, and my voice is heard more
here than at my previous district. It’s not all good or bad, it’s just different.”
Hartman described other challenges that are inherent in the educational process,
whether in a huge district or a smaller one.
“Every group is different. The students have different strengths and weaknesses, so it’s
sometimes a challenge when things that I’ve done in the past don’t work,” she said. “I’m
laying a foundation in kindergarten and it’s important that they master what I’m teaching,
so sometimes I get frustrated with myself for not knowing how to help a kid if they’re not
grasping what I’ve been teaching.”
As a veteran teacher, Hartman has learned to weather the fluctuations that come with
the job and take the “warm fuzzies” when she gets them.
“I tell myself, ‘Every day, I get to watch my kids learn!’ I have a lot that are already
reading, and I know that is such a huge skill,” she continued. “And I also have some that
are learning addition and subtraction facts – and their parents are surprised, but when
they’re ready for it, they’re ready. When I hear from a parent that they’re excited about
what their child is learning in my class, I feel like I’ve done my job well, and that’s a
great feeling.”
Hartman’s husband Jeremy is an officer with the Marietta Police Department and the
school’s Resource Officer, so both spend their days on campus, along with one of their
children, son Jaxon, who’s a sixth grader. The Hartman’s daughter, Jaylynn graduated
from Marietta in 2024.
They enjoy being on the lake in their boat, spending time with family and friends, as well
as attending their son’s sporting events.
Hartman, an “honorary Okie,” has adjusted well to the move and teaching in a different
state, and her new home at Marietta Primary School has come to consider her an
indispensable part of the group.
“Mrs. Hartman is an extremely conscientious, kind, patient and effective teacher. She
has taken on the role of team leader for Kindergarten and is doing a fantastic job,” said
Primary Principal Ann Rutledge. “She forms great relationships with her students and
works hard tohelp them succeed We are very lucky to have her here at the primary
school.”