Director of Pupil Services / School Psychologist Email Phone: 715-223-2301 Ext. 1007
Hello and welcome to the 2020-21 school year!
My name is Jason Penry and I am the School Psychologist and Director of Pupil Services for the Colby School District. This is my 15th year working in education and my fifth with the Colby School District. My wife (Samantha) and I moved to Colby in the summer of 2006 and have since had three children: Griffin (12), Eli (9), and Evie (3). I am originally from Indiana and attended Indiana State University where I earned a B.S. degree in Psychology and English. I completed my graduate studies in School Psychology at UW-Eau Claire where I earned my Educational Specialist Degree (Ed.S.) in the spring of 2007. I obtained my administrative certification through the WiscAd Program which was completed in December 2017.
My family and I very much enjoy living in the Colby community and we are proud to call it home!
Philosophy of Education
ALL students CAN learn. These four simple words encompass my entire philosophy of education. Despite one’s age, cultural background, language, or even innate ability – ALL students CAN learn. This personal philosophy was not shaped over the course of a day, a month, or even a year, but over a lifetime of being around educators who wanted to make a difference. Both of my parents were hard working teachers who took great pride in their profession and instilled those same beliefs and passions into me. Over the past 14+ years my passion and appreciation for education has only increased as I have worked alongside some of the finest educators in Wisconsin. Through this combined personal and professional experience I have grown tremendously as both an educator and advocate for children, especially those with special needs.
Both my personal and professional experiences have given me the privilege of witnessing how even the most significantly disabled child can learn if given the right learning opportunities and resources. Just because a student cannot keep pace with peers (or perhaps perform to the same developmental standards) does not mean he or she is incapable of learning...it just means their learning is going to look different and it’s going to take ALL of US! When a child has a disability I believe we all share a mutually-invested interest to ensure that every child, regardless of ability, has an opportunity to write his or her own success story (no matter how large or small it may seem). For me this also hits close to home. In addition to being an educator who works closely with special education students, I’m also the father of a special needs child. Five years after I began my career my wife and I were blessed with our second child who we later found out was born with a rare genetic condition which has resulted in intractable epilepsy and significant global delays. Having a child with a significant disability has afforded me the unique ability to truly empathize with the parents and families I work with on a daily basis. Having had the opportunity to sit on “both sides of the table” at IEP meetings has only solidified my commitment to education and the fundamental belief that ALL students CAN learn.
ALL students CAN learn - It’s not flashy or eloquent but it perfectly sums up everything I beleive and hold to be true about education. ALL students, regardless of circumstance or ability, CAN learn.
