Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Timeline
Generic

JEN CURTIS

Northampton

Summary

Student-centered educator with 12+ of experience teaching English literature and composition to high school students from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Proven expertise in designing and implementing curriculum that fosters a deep understanding of literature while promoting transferrable skills in writing, argumentation, and critical thinking. Committed to empowering students through differentiated instruction, alternative assessments, and individualized writing support.

Overview

8
8
years of professional experience

Work History

8th-12th Grade English Teacher

The Hartsbrook School
01.2020 - 2024
  • Designed developmentally-appropriate English curriculum for students grades 8-12 focused on written composition, verbal communication, rhetoric and creative writing
  • Worked in tandem with colleagues to modernize Waldorf curriculum, including moving towards alternative grading models, contextualizing and diversifying the traditional canon, and implementing a more culturally relevant pedagogy
  • Courses included: Foundational English (8th & 9th Grades); Poetry (10th Grade); Film Studies (11th & 12th Grade); The Radical Imagination: Utopian Fiction and Futures (11th & 12th Grade); Call and Response: Remixing, Re-imagining, and Re-contextualizing Literature (11th & 12th Grade)

9th and 10th Grade English Teacher

The Head-Royce School
01.2019 - 01.2020
  • Instructed and co-designed comprehensive English curriculum focused on exploring literature through a variety of critical theories including Marxist, Feminist, African American, Queer, New Historic and Psychoanalytic
  • Built foundational writing skills through analytical, expository and creative writing and facilitated student-led discussions of texts through the Harkness method
  • Texts of study included both traditionally canonized and contemporary American and European literature with an emphasis on elevating historically marginalized voices

9th-12th Grade Literature Teacher

The Athenian School
01.2018 - 01.2019
  • Instructed student-centered curriculum focused on exploring non-Western literature and cultures through close-reading, analytical, expository and creative writing; student-designed projects; and student-led Harness discussions
  • Built on foundational reading, writing and speaking skills through one-on-one coaching sessions and authentic, student-designed assessments
  • Courses included: World Literature (9th Grade); Latinx Literature (11th and 12th Grade); The Art of Memoir (11th and 12th Grade); Buddhist Thought (12th Grade)

Assistant Editor

EdSurge
10.2016 - 08.2017
  • Covered and reported on K-12 news related to education and technology.
  • Sourced, recruited and edited submissions from writers across the education community, as well as EdSurge staff.
  • Assembled, delivered and tracked results for weekly newsletter, received by over 20,000 K-12 educators.

11th and 12th Grade English Teacher

Oakland Unity High School
01.2012 - 01.2016
  • Instructed and designed differentiated curriculum with authentic assessment for traditionally under-served population, including 70% English Language Learners
  • Raised percentage of 11th graders deemed proficient in English from 23% to 73% over 3 years based on 2014-2015 English Scores on Smarter Balanced Assessment
  • Founded and facilitated writing center providing daily after-school support for struggling writers across grade levels, including training upperclassmen to serve as peer tutors

Education

Ed.M - Language and Literacy

Harvard Graduate School of Education
Cambridge, MA
01.2018

B.A. - English Literature and Creative Writing (Poetry)

Northwestern University
Evanston, IL
01.2012

Skills

    Dina Levi

    High School Chair at The Hartsbrook School, dlevi@hartsbrookorg

    Ethan Myers

    Former Mentor and co-English Teacher at The Hartsbrook School, emyers@amherstedu

    Art Middleton

    English Teacher at The Hartsbrook School, amiddleton@hartsbrookorg

    Stevie Kaplan

    Former English Dept Chair at Head-Royce, steviethek@gmailcom

    Jenny Temple

    Current English Dept Chair at the Head-Royce School, jtemple@headroyceorg

Timeline

8th-12th Grade English Teacher

The Hartsbrook School
01.2020 - 2024

9th and 10th Grade English Teacher

The Head-Royce School
01.2019 - 01.2020

9th-12th Grade Literature Teacher

The Athenian School
01.2018 - 01.2019

Assistant Editor

EdSurge
10.2016 - 08.2017

11th and 12th Grade English Teacher

Oakland Unity High School
01.2012 - 01.2016

B.A. - English Literature and Creative Writing (Poetry)

Northwestern University

Ed.M - Language and Literacy

Harvard Graduate School of Education
JEN CURTIS