Jennifer Meyer

Curriculum Development

As a thirteen-year veteran educator, Jennifer Meyer has taught elementary, secondary and college level courses.  She is an award-winning teacher who earned two Pedagogical Fulbrights to study throughout Asia and develop Asian American Curriculum to further diversify secondary social studies programs.  She is Nationally Board Certified and has served as a mentor teacher and assessor for National Boards for Professional Teaching Standards.  In the ten-years she worked as a high school teacher in an urban diverse community in South Seattle, she was an active participant in curriculum reform.  Her reform efforts led to the adoption of an integrated project based inquiry driven curriculum that blended the arts, social studies, and language arts while embracing rigorous advanced placement standards.  The program she co-developed and executed aided in bringing the Advance Placement Exams scores of the at-risk high school she worked to levels that rivaled some elite private schools.  

Jennifer is a committed educator who believes whole-heartedly that all children are capable of greatness when provided the appropriate support and scaffolding.  She is a firm believer in the power of curriculum that is culturally relevant and connects with the individual student while providing students the opportunity to explore their understanding in a manner that embraces multiple intellegences. She is an advocate of diversity in every facet, diversity of learning styles, diversity of thought, diversity of content, and diversity of being.  Her classroom fosters and embraces the powerful role diversity plays in student learning.   She has a firm understanding of teaching strategies that engage students while supporting their academic skill acquisition and interpersonal development.  Her three years working as a college professor at Pima Community College in Tucson, led her to co-develop and implement a program that provided first generation college students with the academic skills and habits of mind vital for success.  While the bulk of her career has focused on secondary and college level instruction, Meyer has also developed and led programs in reading proficiency, community service and performing arts for elementary students.  Her career as an educator started with her service in AmeriCorps where she worked with local artists and high students to provide arts and afterschool enrichment programs that had suffered from budget cuts.  

As a mother of two biracial daughters, Jennifer can testify to beauty that comes from a diverse existence.  She is informed by her own love of learning and desire to truly engage in the world around her.  Growing up in a transient military family allowed her to engage with other cultures from a young age and appreciate the power of learning from travel.  Meyer’s love of learning from other cultures has inspired her family to travel extensively through Asia, Europe, Africa, and Central America.  She is a firm believer that the greatest source of learning comes from our interactions with others and bringing communities together ultimately serves all people.