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I’m René.

I’ve been in public education for 16 years. Fourteen of those years have been spent teaching high school English, which means I’ve read Romeo and Juliet more times than is healthy and have graded enough essays to qualify as an Olympic endurance sport.

I studied English Education at Kennesaw State University as an undergraduate and later earned my master’s degree in Instructional Technology with a concentration in Library/Media.

Life in the ELA Trenches

Teaching high school ELA is equal parts inspiring and exhausting. One minute, a student is making a brilliant connection between Elie Wiesel and modern-day social justice, and the next, someone has turned in an essay that starts with “This essay is about…” (Send help). Still, at the end of the day, I keep showing up because I know how much language can empower students when it finally clicks.

Yearbook Adviser = Chaos Coordinator

On top of teaching, I’m also the yearbook adviser. Picture juggling deadlines, fonts, and teenagers with cameras—all while a printer plots against you. That’s yearbook, but nothing beats watching students hold the finished book for the first time. It’s proof that we all survived another year.

Paint Over Papers

When I’m not buried under essays or sticky notes, I paint: canvas, not houses (though if grading keeps piling up, who knows?). Painting is my creative escape—something that’s mine, not tied to a rubric or state standards.

Why I Do This Work

Here’s the thing, though: what really keeps me going isn’t just surviving teaching—it’s making ELA work. I want students to see English as something relevant, not a punishment, and I want teachers to have resources that don’t feel like another full-time job to prep.

So if you’ve ever stared at your lesson plans and thought, “There has to be an easier way,” you’re in the right place. This space is for keeping ELA instruction accessible for students and manageable for teachers—without overcomplicating the work you already do.

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