I have had the great pleasure of working with Brian Jaeger at Menomonee Falls High School, both as a colleague in the English department and as a co-coach for the Forensics team. I have the highest possible opinion of him. Brian’s high level of professionalism and ability to work with a team, his admirable amount of content knowledge and ability to incorporate technology into the classroom, his continuous commitment to student success, and his willingness to go above and beyond his role in the classroom as an advisor and coach have given me the unwavering understanding that he is a teacher any district would consider valuable.
During the time I have worked with Brian in the English department, I’ve known him to be incredibly collaborative and innovative. He is always figuring out new ways to engage students, to get them to analyze and think critically, and to improve their writing. His class is driven by the College and Career Readiness Standards and his lessons are well-scaffolded and differentiated; however, Brian’s classes also have a unique and creative flair to them. Complete with a “Word-of-the-Day” and “Quote-of-the-Day,” Brian’s classes explore contemporary questions and interesting subjects while using varying resources to inspire discussion and writing. Brian is also well-practiced at sharing his innovative ideas with the department. Brian recently set up and organized a Google group to replace the “Shared Folder” we had been using until then. Not only does our department use this group to share materials and work on creating common assessments, but the entire high school is benefiting from his knowledge of Google and his desire to use it effectively. He is a phenomenal teacher and team player.
Brian exceeds his responsibilities as a teacher by working as both a Forensics coach and the Thassophobia Literary Club advisor, a student organization focused on reviewing, acknowledging and presenting students’ writing and other expressive works. Brian is exemplary in both roles. He provides students with a structured opportunity to improve in writing, reading, and public speaking, while giving them the freedom to explore and be creative. I have witnessed dozens of students flourish under Brian’s leadership, not to mention have a memorable and enjoyable experience. As a co-coach for Forensics, I also witnessed Brian’s incredible leadership and management abilities. He took me under his wing and taught me everything I needed to know about Forensics, about helping our kids become better speakers and writers, and about organizing the team to attend meets. Because of Brian’s expertise, patience and flexibility, I have become a better coach and certainly a better teacher.
One of the qualities that make Brian a fabulous teacher is his mastery of the important skills he teaches in English, especially writing. He is an exceptional writer and pursues the craft as a hobby on his own time, in addition to incorporating his own work into his classroom. When teaching Creative Writing, Brian serves as a great model for his students since he has so much experience with exploring the creative writing process himself. I have personally been so impressed by Brian’s commitment to creative writing and by his abilities in this area.
Brian is also an expert with technology and has served as the go-to person in our department when it comes to learning about technology and using it more effectively in the English classroom. In 2012 the freshman at Menomonee Falls High School went one-to-one with laptops, and Brian found a way to make his Freshman English course entirely online. Not only was this a financial benefit for the district because he was able to make extensive cuts on printing and copying, but it was a great benefit to student learning as well. High school students today are better versed with computers than with anything else, and by incorporating computers into the everyday atmosphere of his classroom, Brian was able to make class relatable, engaging and easily accessible. His class websites are admirable and the number of resources available to his students is incredible.
I have no reservations about recommending Brian for any position. Over the course of our time working together, he has completely proven himself to be a fantastic teacher, a model collaborator, a passionate coach and advisor, and a committed member of the faculty. He is an outstanding professional. Please do not hesitate to contact me for more information or further questions.
Sincerely,
Alison Dwyer
English Teacher
Menomonee Falls High School