Most students have had at least one teacher who has made a lasting impact on them. For some, that teacher is Rachel Jadormeo, GT Humanities and AP Lit teacher. She has been teaching here since the school opened. She enjoys making a difference in the community, and in one and a half weeks is leaving teaching to pursue a job planning for the City of Allen to help allocate and send resources to people in need.
Enthusiastic about impacting people, Jadormeo has an interesting first experience with teaching. While it was initially something she did as a joke when she was a student, it led her to find her passion in the classroom shaping young minds.
“I was dressed a little nicer and there’s a sub in my English class and the sub assumed I was the teacher,” Jadormeo said. “And as a joke … I … pretended to teach the class that day. … But then I really started reflecting, and … [I thought] the people who have made the best impact on my life are educators. I could be that for someone.”
This lighthearted moment and the career it sparked developed a deliberate and genuine philosophy towards being a teacher and dealing with students.
“You could come in as a student with any level of understanding of the content,” Jadormeo said. “I will never speak down to you and I will never belittle you or act like you’re stupid. I think that unintentionally sometimes because we’re experts in a topic, we might assume … [we] have to baby this person.”
However, Jadormeo will soon leave the school, having to leave behind all the parts of teaching she enjoyed.
“I am going to miss working with my best friend, Ms. McGaughey,” Jadormeo said. “I’m going to miss students. I already know that. I’m going to miss them so, so much. Just getting to be people with them and see them grow.”
Despite the attachments that come with being a teacher, she emphasizes that it is still important to be able to recognize when an opportunity is available.
“I think with any teacher who leaves the profession, I think there is automatically a sense of guilt or a weight placed on their shoulders,” Jadormeo said. “There’s this weight … [that] you’re dealing with human lives and there’s an expectation that you go above and beyond. … And I think it takes a little bit of unlearning and you have to realize you can still make an impact in your community outside of education.”
While leaving teaching may be daunting, Jadormeo’s future is bright as she looks forward to keep making a difference in the community.
“I’m just looking forward to continuing to make a change in this world for the better,” Jadormeo said. “But also … learn so much and … be a sponge and just absorb all the information I can from people who are experts in things that I’m not yet.”
Overall, she encourages students to follow in her example, so that they can reach for opportunities and excel in their own lives.
“Something that I have always told my students is to go for it … and that they are capable of anything,” Jadormeo said. “That’s what I had to tell myself when I decided to take on this job. And so I would hope that me leaving, even if it’s a sad thing, they would look at that and realize I’m following my own advice and they can do the same.”
