By Alexa Liacko
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ATLANTA (WUPA) — Jere Chang never planned to become a teacher. Now, nearly two decades into her career, she’s built a classroom many students say feels like home, and a social media following of nearly 3 million who see pieces of that classroom reflected online.
“My first career was university administration,” Chang said. “I had zero plans to be a teacher.”
That changed after she earned a second master’s degree and began teaching. One moment, she said, made it clear she was where she belonged.
“The day I walked into that class and I saw the motivation and the curiosity of kids, I was like, ‘This is what I want to do,'” Chang said.
Chang teaches gifted education at Drew Charter School, working with neurodivergent and asynchronous learners. She says gifted education is often misunderstood — and her classroom is designed to give students something they don’t always get elsewhere.
“My students get to come and spend the day in my classroom and all those idiosyncrasies they usually mask, they get to just let that fall into place,” Chang said. “They can nerd it out. They can ask all the questions. They can blurt out answers. We just vibe in here.”
That sense of freedom is intentional. Chang says her goal is to create a space where students feel safe — even when they don’t know the answer.
“I tell my kids, ‘There’s a lady in this classroom who gets paid to help you,'” she said. “I work really hard to build a community where students feel safe to make mistakes, comfortable to ask questions and comfortable not knowing how to do things.”
Students say that the approach has helped them feel confident.
“It makes me feel like I can have creative freedom,” said Harper Kemmerick, 9. “It’s like a safe space I get to go to once a week.”
Theo Field, 8, said Chang makes learning fun — even when the lesson is challenging.
“She pretends to be a really strict teacher, but she’s actually really funny,” he said.
Another student said Chang helps make even “boring things” enjoyable.
“Even when she’s explaining something boring, she still makes it funny,” James Luczynski, 8, said. “We’re learning a lot, but it’s fun.”
Chang says hearing that feedback means everything.
“Students never come back and talk about test scores,” she said. “They always say, ‘Your classroom felt good.’ And that means the world to me.”
Chang’s teaching style is deeply rooted in her own childhood. She grew up with spina bifida and remembers feeling like she didn’t fit in.
“I really became the teacher I needed as a child,” she said. “I was a square peg in a round hole. School was hard for me because I was different.”
She says those experiences shaped how she approaches her students.
“When you grow up in a marginalized community — whether you have a disability, whether you’re queer — you know what it feels like to be different,” Chang said. “And to give kids a space where being different is normal? That’s kind of magical.”
Drew Charter School Principal Monishae O’Neill said Chang’s ability to create belonging is just as important as academics.
“From a holistic perspective, she contributes to kids feeling accepted, valued and like they belong,” O’Neill said. “That’s just as important — if not more important — than academics.”
Chang’s humor and authenticity extend beyond the classroom through her viral social media videos, including her popular character “Miss White,” a wig-wearing persona inspired by familiar workplace dynamics.
“Miss White is that person who tells you you’re doing it wrong because you’re not doing it her way,” Chang said. “She’s everywhere — schools, offices, hospitals. That resonates far beyond education.”
Fellow teacher and longtime mentor Sherique Ransby said Chang’s relatability is what makes both her teaching and her content so impactful.
“She’s able to reach students where they are and make sure no one feels isolated,” Ransby said. “There’s no one mold that fits everybody. Everybody creates their own mold.”
Despite her online following, Chang says her focus has never changed.
“I’m rooting for every kid,” she said. “I don’t care how you worship, how you vote, or where you come from. If you walk through my door, I’m rooting for you.”
Parents, she said, consistently tell her that her class — known as “SOAR” — is their child’s favorite day of the week.
“They get to be with peers who think differently, who learn differently,” Chang said. “And that gets to be celebrated for a day.”
For Chang, the impact she hopes to leave behind isn’t measured in numbers — online or off.
“If I can give kids a place where they feel safe being curious, silly and themselves,” she said, “then I’m doing my job.”
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