Rachel Hedges, M.Ed.

Rachel Hedges is a Chicago native who has been visiting The Farm since 2004 and has been teaching since she sat her teddy bears down to play school at age four. After receiving her bachelor’s degree in psychology with a concentration in race, class and gender studies, she began to explore teaching in a variety of settings. She taught human rights with Amnesty International to high school students in inner city Chicago, tutored formerly incarcerated men living in a transition center through the SAFER foundation, volunteered at a school for learning disabled children, and worked with the Chicago Department of Public Health Lead Poisoning Prevention Program through AmeriCorps. She went on to earn a master’s degree in Elementary Education, and an endorsement to teach English Language Learners.

She is skilled in deconstructing information on the craft and science of education, identifying priorities and synthesizing resources into cohesive instructional plans. Her passion for teaching the whole child drives her to go beyond the standards and consider social-emotional skill development, student passions, community culture and both the challenges and opportunities of our changing world. To support this goal she regularly engages in continuing education opportunities, collaborates with teachers in a variety of educational settings, and stays current on best pedagogical practices across a wide range of disciplines.

Rachel loves to chat with colleagues, families and students about any- and everything related to learning. Get in touch with her if you would like to hear why she thinks we need to reframe mathematics education to focus more on communication and creativity and less on memorization and speed, or talk about the importance of studying morphology and etymology alongside phonics when learning the English spelling system. She feels honored to be trusted as a curriculum director at The Farm School and is so fortunate to work with the most passionate and hardworking team! When she’s not working you can find her crafting, listening to Weird Al and spending time with her two kids, husband and crew of fur babies.