sophia jantomaso

Being a good teacher derives from being a good student. Not because of high marks on an exam or the amount of praise an essay receives from a professor. But by pursuing a study of wisdom. Life-changing instruction comes from a commitment to a lifetime of learning—one that transcends acquiring a mere degree.

The degree they adopt is one of never-ending growth, and it’s clear that this is what Sophia Jantomaso has done. One semester under her leadership has revealed this to me.

As a current graduate student assistant in the English department at Liberty University, she finds this opportunity of being both a pupil and a mentor immensely valuable.

“I feel like every teacher should get that gift at some point in their life,” she said. “When I sit in a seat as a student in my grad classes, I’m a lot more aware of what it could look like to connect with my teachers. Because as a teacher, I know what it looks like to connect with a student.”

Sophia, or Ms. J as her students call her, cherishes deep connections with those she teaches. Not only does she care deeply for their individual academic success, but also prioritizes true investment into each young adult’s soul. Learning how to carry that weight well has been a learning curve that has given birth to a new educational perspective.

“I think that the most effective, most innovative, most thorough person in the workforce in any field is the person who has soul and personhood in their work, rather than just showing up to work,” Sophia said.

Meaningful learning is much more vast than just the storage of intellectual knowledge. Intrinsic value also resides in pursuing spiritual wisdom. Through this lesson, Sophia uses contemplation and prayer to allow inspiration to spring up in her personal and professional life.

sophia at liberty university

Through practicing the art of slowing down and observing the world around her, she has found immense importance in watching what God is doing within her midst.

Through her relationship with Christ, Sophia has allowed life’s inspiration to manifest itself in ways that aren’t always confined in a perfectly logical way.

“When we start recognizing that life can grow in things like academics and our personal lives, and that things can blossom like we’ve never imagined before, it starts to really change things,” she said.

Most people may assume that an English major would feel most comfortable communicating their thoughts through pen and paper. But for Sophia, organic face-to-face conversations that nurture intentionality invoke the most joy in her relationships with others.

This same infectiousness has been formed through her upbringing in Virginia. Having grown up with seven brothers and one sister, Sophia is used to the exciting mayhem that a large family brings. It was in this environment that a rejoicing ambition originated through a homeschooled setting.

the jantomaso family

“Some people don’t see school as an enjoyable thing,” Sophia said. “But for me, I had so much ownership in my school. Every year, I had a huge amount of agency in my education. As far as reading went, my parents just had really good books around the house all the time, and I read constantly.”

While many of her peers recall times when they skimmed class-assigned readings that they had no interest in taking part in, it wouldn’t be unusual that Sophia would devour those same books on a family road trip. Rather than having things given to her, she discovered a love of learning outside of a typical classroom setting, largely forming how she learns today.

To be effective, the learning process is often a messy one, full of mistakes and failures. When it comes to producing anything worthwhile in Sophia’s life, she puts emphasis on tangible goals to achieve the end product. For ambitious individuals like herself, the temptation can be to focus on the end rather than the lessons that she learns along the way.

“I used to emphasize the product more,” Sophia said. “Now, I’m just in love with the process because I’ve seen how valuable it is. I have to remind myself that in the end the process has to be cut short because the product isn’t going to be perfect.”

With this realization, Sophia has practiced what it looks like to slow down and to foster balance in her life when it comes to both handling responsibility and enjoying the season she’s currently in. The recurring element of hope has reminded her that the burdens of life are not hers to carry.

“It’s not on us to make everything happen the way that we think it should,” she said. “But it’s on us to do our best with the resources in front of us and to keep walking forward.”

In her educational career, it would be Sophia’s ultimate dream to start her own school one day. Realizing her passion for teaching during the culmination of her middle school years, it’s clear that the love she has for her students is something she continues to invest in daily.

“The responsibility and care that I’ve felt for my students has made me realize how much more my parents have felt that way about their kids,” she said.

Over time, Sophia has seen the immense worth in surrendering to God’s control, trusting that He will align her priorities and steady her view of the future. This assurance is a quality that propels her to attend to a better way of teaching, one that continues to impact the lives of her students.