Ohio Native Jeannine Zepeda Teaches Texas History with Passion in Edgewood ISD

When Jeannine Zepeda moved to south Texas to be a reporter, she didn't plan to become a Texas history teacher at Brentwood Middle School. She fell in love with the history of her adopted state; then she found her true passion in the classroom, helping students appreciate the greatness of their surroundings and find their own passions for learning.

"I tell them, just look – you live in San Antonio! You're surrounded with all this great history – this is where it all happened." Ms. Zepeda tries to show them cause and effect in history, to help them start asking questions and see connections. She and her students recently watched the 1950s movie, Giant, because as she says, "I wanted them to really see a turning point in their history – the oil well gusher represented the transition from an agriculture-based to an oil-based economy in Texas."

In her energetic, fast-paced classroom, she hands out dozens of tickets for correct answers, and on Friday, students can redeem their tickets for small prizes. Everyone gets a chance to win. "Middle schoolers need immediate recognition for what they are doing. My quieter students can earn tickets for coming in and starting to work without being asked. They all get the chance to say, 'Yea! Go me!'"