With the beginning of the school year comes the gift of new teachers. Joining the Jackson-Reed English Department is our newest hire, Jennifer Solove.
Born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico, teaching was not always the profession Solove saw. After attending Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana, her initial post-college plan was to become a lawyer. In fact, her love for teaching came as a surprise. Her first job after college was teaching in South Central Los Angeles. “Honestly I just didn’t want to be a lawyer and [was] putting off law school… then I really loved [teaching].” She adds that she believes “every child needs and deserves a good teacher” and she hopes to be one for her students.
After her initial stint as a teacher, Solove joined the Peace Corps and taught English in the Kingdom of Tongo. Upon her return she received a scholarship to George Washington University and attended for her masters degree.
She then fell back into teaching, remaining in the DC area. She taught at a number of Montgomery County Public Schools, starting at Winston Churchill and then moving closer to DC, at Walter Johnson and then Bethesda Chevy Chase. This school year is her first year at Jackson-Reed.
Solove’s high school experience was vastly different from Jackson-Reed. She attended a competitive private school which she reflects on as being harder than university. Her college experience was also atypical. During her senior year Hurricane Katrina hit, and she had to go to Louisiana State University for a semester.
“I had a series of events that shaped me in a short [period] of time,” she says, referring to her experience in the Peace Corps, teaching in South Central Los Angeles, and Hurricane Katrina. “I grew up with a fair amount of privilege … and I think [those events] kind of ripped me out of my reality, particularly when I saw what other kids’ [education looked like]. I was only 21 teaching in South Central Los Angeles, [some of those] kids were four years younger than me.”
Today, outside of teaching, Solove can often be found tango dancing. She started tango her senior year of high school and continues to love it because “you don’t memorize any steps so it really takes a lot of intuition, listening, and musicality.” She also regularly attends her synagogue. “Although, ironically, I’m not necessarily very religious, I really enjoy being in that space and community.” She adds that “the Bible and Torah are so ambiguous which is why they are so rich for literary analysis…basically I live and breathe English.” So, no surprise here, she is also constantly reading.
If she could choose one piece of advice to share with current high school students, it would be to “find something you are passionate about and keep looking until you find it.” She has been able to apply this to her life. “I found [my passion] so work to me doesn’t really feel like work…showing up and having something that you really love is such a gift that cannot be replaced.”
