“Coaching is teaching, and teaching is coaching,” is Jamie Thompson’s philosophy. Thompson should know.

As head coach of the Polk County High School varsity football team, and also a PCHS history teacher, he understands the importance of helping young men and women learn about themselves, the world around them, work together as a group, and use those skills for the betterment of society.

Thompson’s football coaching career at Polk goes back to the fall of 1998, when he became the junior varsity offensive line and linebacker coach. Later positions included JV defensive coordinator, JV head coach, varsity linebacker coach, and varsity defensive coordinator, beginning in 2003.

Early this year, Thompson was named head varsity coach.

Though he played football at Chase High School and Gardner-Webb University, Thompson admits that he was not a great college player. But, he said proudly, “I’ve always loved the game of football, and wanted to stay a part of it.”

When that initial position at Polk became available, “I jumped on it, and that’s how it happened.”

“I’ve latched on to it (the chance to coach) because it’s a passion of mine,” said Thompson. Coaching also taught Thompson that he enjoyed working with young adults.

“Teaching and coaching go hand in hand,” Thompson emphasized. “Coaching is teaching, and teaching is coaching. I’ve always loved history. Knowing what happened in the past explains what happens today, and helps the world make sense.”

Because he was passionate about serving as a teacher, Thompson returned to college to earn his teaching certification, which he received from Winston-Salem State in 2010.

“It was a tough road, when you’ve got three kids, a full-time job and coaching,” Thompson admitted.

One of his inspirations was his wife Amber, who earned her masters and doctorate degrees while being a wife, parent, and working full time.

“She was an inspiration,” Thomson offered. “It helped me strive to reach my goals as a teacher.”

Thompson’s background primed him for helping young people work together for family and team benefit.

“I came from a vey large family with five older sisters,” he explained. “I tell people I had five mammas. Coming from a large family, you realize that depending on each other, trusting each other, being accountable to each other is like a team.”

“You learn the value of being part of something that’s larger than yourself,” he said, nodding to the 2014 varsity football team’s slogan, Its We; It’s Us. “These kids are building bonds and relationships that will last a lifetime. When times get tough, these kids will be able fall back on lessons from the field.”

Thompson points to an old expression, “If you aim at nothing, you’ll probably hit it.”

“At Polk, we set lofty goals every year. When you get a group of young people to buy into what you’re selling, and pull in one direction, and see the fruits of that effort, it’s rewarding. We won a lot of ball games here the last 12 seasons,” he said.

Thompson notes that while some individuals dwell solely on the record, he follows the advice of legendary former San Francisco 49ers football coach Bill Walsh, who emphasized that when one is doing things right, and teaching people right, and holding each other accountable, and giving the best effort, the scoreboard will take care of itself.

“Friday nights,” Thompson points out, “are not a result of those 48 minutes.” Rather, he says, they are a result of what goes on in the weight room, the practice field, and in the players’ homes – the long hours of preparation.

Thompson tells his players, “We are blessed to be where we are. Polk County is a special place with good facilities, and good students living in a great community.”

He also praised the county school administration.

“You’re not going to find another superintendent who cares more about what happens at the schools,” Thompson said, referring to Polk County Superintendent of Schools William Miller.

Thompson mentioned, as fans and families have learned, that Miller attends countless school functions, from music programs to plays to sports events. PCHS Principal Mary Feagan does much the same.

“It’s an inspiration to all of us involved. There’s a lot of pride in our community, and we have a lot to be proud of. We’re blessed to have just one high school in our county. We are the show.”

Thompson, points out, “It’s instilling young adults with confidence, character, leadership. Each June, when those products of great effort from families and faculty walk across the stage and receive their diplomas, each one carries a piece of Polk County into the world.”

Thompson continued, “The key is making the kids believe. It’s not a stretch to believe that you can be the best. Average people have done incredible things in history, because they were willing to pay the up-front price.”