When not advocating publicly for a global human rights organization, James teaches at the Outdoor Nursery School in Chevy Chase, Md. A strong proponent of education, she was recently featured on NBC Nightly News for collecting more than 600,000 pennies for education for girls.
Q+A
How do you teach your preschoolers about Jamaica, your native country?
Jamaica is a jewel and very dear to my heart. I share this with my class by having Jamaica Week every year. I transform the classroom with decorations—the Jamaican flag and pictures of our musicians and athletes. They learn songs, games, and our language—the local dialect is the patois. They also taste Jamaican food, including some of my favorites: patties, stew chicken, fruit cake, plantains, rice and peas, and tamarind balls. I teach them how make their own toys, so they gain perspective on the lives of less privileged children. They make trucks, cars, balls, and windmills. This is one crafty project they love.
