In order to teach our students stories, we must first learn the stories of our students.
Nice to
meet you:
My name is Jessica Wall-Smith, a 10th and 12th grade English teacher at Oak Park High. The quote above is my own, a creed I have crafted for my classroom. I'm a proud alumnus of:
Pepperdine University's teacher education program, where I majored in English Education
The Fulbright English Teacher Assistantship program, where I taught English to students in Athens, Greece
Oak Park Unified, which I attended from elementary school through high school! I discovered my dream school early on in life, and can think of no place more appropriate to complete my educational journey.
Teaching philosophy: My purpose in the educational process is to individualize my students’ learning experiences and assume a teacher-mentor role based on moderated guidance and freedom. I strive to create a classroom environment that ultimately fosters curiosity, inclusiveness, and intrinsically motivated learning.
Our classroom: H-9 is a brave space for students to develop critical thinking by thoughtfully engaging great literature, big questions, and the contributions of their peers. For this reason, our classroom is styled after a coffee shop. Instead of sipping tea and lattes, we'll be carefully "sipping" on rich information and ideas; hence our room's title: The Thought Cafe!
It is my honor to join your learning team for the 2024-25 school year!