To acknowledge the start of the back to school season, our People of Shelburne columns in the coming weeks will feature teachers in the Shelburne schools who live in Town. Joplin James has been a teacher at the Community School since 1989.

Family: Joplin and his wife Alison met at a Quaker Meeting in Cambridge, Mass. in 1984. They moved to Burlington in 1985 and to Shelburne in 1989. They have two daughters, Anika, who is a senior at Middlebury College and has just returned from a five-month study in Argentina, and 13-year-old McKinley who is homeschooled.

Education and career: Joplin attended schools in Pennsylvania, where he was born, and then attended Oberlin College and The College of the Atlantic in Maine where he received a B.A. degree in human ecology. In 1987, he earned his graduate degree in education from St. Michael's College. Joplin taught in Burlington, Essex, and Montpelier before accepting a position at a boarding school in the Adirondacks. He and Alison both taught there and later returned to Vermont to settle in Shelburne in 1989. His first six years teaching in Shelburne was on the village school's Alpha Team (grades 6-8). For the last 12 years, Joplin has been a teacher with the Adventurers' Team (grades K-3). This fall, he is looking forward to a change, as he will be teaching a kindergarten class at SCS, along with Vasanthi Meyette. "I'm so excited to work with these children as they discover reading," Joplin shared. He is now working on building a "tree house" loft in his new classroom, as the attendant name of the kindergarten class will be "Tree House." Over the course of his career at SCS, Joplin has taken part in international education exchange programs that have included yearlong teaching positions in Japan, Norway, and Taiwan. Joplin and Alison are again hosting an "Enchantment Camp" at their home on Thomas Road. The camp began four years ago with a "Harry Potter" theme, and has grown, largely through word of mouth, to a four-week schedule for two age groups.

Favorite food: "This time of year, it has to be rhubarb!" This grows rampantly in his garden and he has perfected a proprietary recipe for "rhubarb leather" which he brings to school to share with students and teachers.

Current book: "The Brain that Changes Itself," by Norman Doidge, M.D.

Hobbies: Building and "creating things," which includes a small sod-roofed "hobbit hole" in the field by his house, complete with a woodstove and two couches inside. His picture for this column shows him sitting in a chair he built for his new classroom. Joplin was recently interviewed for the VPR program Vermont Edition's "Hiking the Long Trail." He is currently working toward hiking the Trail's 300-mile ridgeline - in the winter.

Bucket list: Joplin hopes to finish his winter treks and complete hiking the Long Trail. He estimates that he is half way through the trail, and will need a "couple more winter seasons" to reach his goal. He continues to seek out travel and adventure opportunities. "I'm drawn to the northern climes - maybe Norway!"