Jessica Morse
After graduating from Vanderbilt, I transitioned from student to teacher when I was selected as one of the 5,200 applicants out of 48,000 to serve as a Teach For America Corps Member. My two years as a 9th grade algebra teacher in a low-income community tested my patience, persistence, and endurance. Most importantly, my experience reinforced my belief that knowledge is powerful and that anyone can learn.
Through teamwork, competition, technology, and sometimes even musical performances, I was able to engage my students with algebra and create a solid foundation for future mathematics. Our hard work paid off: my students' scores improved by 170%, outscoring the district average by 17%.
After TFA, my interests in tech and data-driven cultures led me to San Francisco where I gained valuable experience in the product and sales arms of tech organizations.
​Creating 300+ lesson plans and presenting them every day with enthusiasm was just the beginning, as I wore many hats. I acted as an older sister to students in need of guidance, I played nurse to bug bites, nose bleeds, and twisted ankles, I was a chef to students who hadn't eaten much in a few days, and I was a personal tutor long after the last bell rang. In addition, I coached basketball, tutored for the ACT, and mentored all incoming TFA Corps Members in the Math Cohort at my placement school.
During my 2nd year as a Corps Member, I led and facilitated weekly professional development for the 30 incoming Corps Members in the Math Cohort. If new teachers struggled with lesson planning, behavior management, or engagement, we would collaborate to identify a solution.
Algebra Teacher and Content Leader, Teach for America
​2011 - 2013
Other Skills
Creative Writing/Storytelling
Public Speaking
Leadership
Screenwriting
Curriculum Development
Collaboration
Relentless Optimism
Hebrew proficiency
Tech Skills
Final Draft
Final Cut Pro
Microsoft Office
Salesforce
Sales Navigator
ToutApp
WalkMe
As an undergraduate, I learned how to analyze text, edit film, tell a story, market a product, understand the human brain, write a screenplay, and distinguish good data from bad data.
What my "official transcipt" does not reveal is that while in college I also learned to speak a little Danish, play rugby, bike through snow, cook artichokes, navigate Europe, collaborate with peers much different than me, and perhaps most importantly, trust my instincts.
While teaching full time, I took night classes for two years in order to earn my Master's Degree.
Here's a few of the hot topics I studied:
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Curriculum development
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English Language Learners
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Literacy Strategies
Arizona State University
Master of Education in Secondary Education (Mathematics)
​May 2011 - May 2013
RESUME
Summary
Work​
experience​
Education
Vanderbilt University
Bachelor of Arts in English & Bachelor of Arts in Psychology
​May 2007 - May 2011
By leveraging IXL in my own classroom, I recognized the product's potential and was eager to maximize its impact on student achievement. IXL Product Analysts plant the seeds for new content and interactions. The role is part research, part content-creation, and part design. Together with the UI and engineering team, I created intuitive ways for students to interact with mathematics and hone their problem-solving skills. By building a product that seamlessly integrates into any classroom, I helped free up time for the ever-busy users, teachers!
Product Analyst, IXL Learning
August 2013 - January 2015
Sales Development, Optimizely
April 2015 - February 2016
I'm both right- and left-brained... equally data-driven and empathy-driven. I'm highly competitive, but mostly against myself. Patience gained in my classroom combined with my grit to succeed in uncomfortable situations lent themselves well to a client-facing role in a fast-paced sales environment.
As a result of my data-driven approach and growth mindset, I exceeded my monthly meetings quota (115% in December and 140% in January). I was also the top performer for qualified meetings for North America, East for Q4 and January.
