Jere Chang, an Atlanta area classroom teacher for over 25 years, is an award winning TikTok star with over 1.9 million followers and is a dynamic and highly engaging speaker. Spending time with “Ms. Chang,” isn’t just viewing a reel or a TikTok trend. Her motivational talks about gifted education, inclusion, and creative thinking are visits in radical kindness, inspiration, and laughter.
Chang invites audiences into her classroom, family vacations with her wife and two young sons, even her lunch box to look deeply into something familiar with innovation and curiosity. Unlike most social media stars, Chang is honest. She doesn’t cover up her teaching goofs, her aging face, or her misunderstood classroom décor but points them out with a great sense of reflexivity and humor. Her goal: to have audiences walk away feeling refreshed, safe, cared for and valued. From the moment she starts to talk, it’s time to get real.
From having difficult conversations with colleagues, parents, and students, coping with (teacher) test anxiety, or navigating bullying commentary from viewers online—she’s not afraid to address challenging issues yet remains focused on what makes people smile. Known as the “Lesbian Mr. Rodgers” she refers to her approach to equity and inclusion as “soft activism” because as her Grandma used to say, “You attract more bees with honey!"
Invited twice to the Whitehouse with 30 other influencers on LGBTQ+ issues, Ms. Chang is an international speaker who draws standing room only crowds. Awarded Distinguished University of Georgia Alumni, Chang promotes brands that support teachers such as back to school gift cards from Amazon, Microsoft products for digital learning, even Coca-Cola to caffeinate her school lunch.
With 10 years in gifted education and three Master’s degrees in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), college administration, and applied linguistics, she speaks on a variety of topics focused on creativity and inclusion. Wherever Jere Chang is, so is a room full of laughter, a “Wheels on the Bus” dance party, and the feeling of sanctuary.
