Jessica Jané, Putnam High School, Putnam Public Schools
Jessica (Jess) teaches Algebra 1, Geometry, Manufacturing Math, and Consumer Math at Putnam High School. She has been in the field of education since 2011, where she began her career as a paraprofessional and long-term substitute. During that time, she decided to go back to school to become a licensed math teacher. In 2015, Jess began working as a licensed math teacher with a classroom of her own for the first time. This was in Killingly, where she taught 7th grade for six years and 8th grade for one year. In addition to teaching math, Jess also served as the Math IC for grades 5-8 and was a Team Mentor.
Three years ago, Jess made the jump to Putnam High School, where she holds leadership roles on the District Math Committee and is a co-advisor on the Student Council. At Putnam High School, Jess (along with Fellow, Courtney!) have begun implementing College Preparatory Mathematics (CPM) last year with Algebra 1 and Pre-Calculus, focusing on shifting towards a more collaborative, problem-based approach to math instruction. This year, they expanded the rollout to include Geometry and Algebra 2. A major focus has been helping students adjust to the emphasis on group work, critical thinking, and multiple solution strategies, while also ensuring teachers feel confident using CPM’s resources effectively. Jess believes her cross-district collaboration with Courtney has been helpful in this process to work together in building a support system for their teachers in effectively implementing CPM. They have shared lesson strategies, and developed best practices for integrating CPM’s problem-solving approach. She believes collaboration is so important, especially in rural districts where resources can be limited.
Last year, Jess presented at the annual meeting of the Vermont Council of Teachers of Mathematics (VCTM). Reflecting on her experience presenting there, Jess shares, “Presenting at the conference last year was an experience that pushed me out of my comfort zone in the best way possible. This might be surprising, but I am not the biggest fan of public speaking, ever since high school I was told I was “bad” at it, but taking on the challenge of sharing my experiences with other teachers helped me grow both personally and professionally. I realized that the audience wasn’t there to judge—they were there to learn and engage in meaningful discussions. The best part was connecting with other educators who shared similar challenges and how our conversations sparked new ideas and inspired others.”
Jess also recently presented at the 2025 Teacher Conference in San Diego, California. She presented on Cross-District Collaboration and PLC Building in Small Rural Communities with Courtney. Jess believes, “Small districts face unique challenges, but they also offer opportunities for meaningful collaboration.” In the session, Jess and Courtney shared about how they cultivated a strong professional learning community (PLC) across districts and provided strategies to help others do the same. Their presentation included practical resources, tips, and tools for implementing PLCs and peer observation programs, with the goal of demonstrating how structured collaboration can enhance teaching practices. They also shared about their own successes using these strategies and how cross-district collaboration has strengthened peer-to-peer support in their district. Jess shares, “Presenting at the conference was a valuable experience that allowed me to step outside my comfort zone and connect with other educators passionate about improving professional growth in small districts.”
Jess’ ILP focuses on the Youth Manufacturing Pipeline Initiative (YMPI), a program designed to connect students with opportunities in the manufacturing industry. Her goal is to raise awareness about these opportunities and help students recognize how the math skills they learn in school directly apply to real-world careers. This project is important to her because she wants to help students see a variety of pathways to success, not just traditional four-year college degrees. As a math teacher, Jess says she sees firsthand how often students question the relevance of what they are learning. By connecting math to real-world applications in manufacturing (such as precision measurements, geometric design, and data analysis), Jess believes she can help students understand the value of math.