Jewel's School Gems

Hi there! I’m Jewel, resident creator of STEM and Science curriculum gems at www.jewelschoolgems.com! I love creating engaging resources for busy elementary teachers like you. I love saving you time without breaking the bank, so that you can enjoy your teaching and personal life more! I'm so thrilled to have you here! It's my mission and passion to make you fall in love with your STEM and Science teaching every day, over and over again, without having to sacrifice precious time that you would rather spend cuddling with your significant other on the couch or reading stories to your babies before bed time. I want to give you back your time that you rather spend having a bubble bath or doing online shopping. I know how important it is to have satisfaction at work and have more control of your time because I'm a mother and have also been a classroom teacher for almost 17 years. I have taught students from kindergarten to university level. Though my training is mostly in English and Journalism, I have enjoyed teaching Art, Science, Digital Technologies and STEAM the past few years.

Having taught kids with different cultural and linguistic backgrounds for many years now, I love integrating English and Art with Science to make sure that students come out of the classroom with a thorough understanding of the concepts presented in class. It’s not uncommon to see my students doing research, performing experiments, or engaging in QR code scavenger hunts and digital escape rooms as I also really enjoy using technology in the classroom, alongside doing hands-on and interactive work. I've also taught STEAM for the past few years so, of course, my class is usually busy with coding and STEM challenges, which are just so much fun. :)

To be honest, when I was growing up, I wanted to be a doctor and I was almost always a representative to Science fairs and Math competitions. My interest kind of shifted in high school and I was considered as one of the more prolific journalists and artists in the campus. I just enjoyed school sooo much that I felt the calling to become a teacher soon after. Do you believe in being left-brained or right-brained? If you’re anything like me, you would have taken those tests on Facebook that tell you which one you are. Well, results revealed I'm 57% left-brained and 43% right-brained. I guess this makes me good in both creative and logical tasks. Actually, though I was praised for many of my creative lessons and activities, in 2015, I was made the Primary School Science Coordinator of my school here in Melbourne.

I have a Certificate IV in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) from Chisholm here in Melbourne and a Bachelor of Secondary Education (Major in English, Minor in Journalism) degree from the University of the Philippines. I also would love to pursue a Master's degree in STEM Education in the future once my little family is more settled.

I‘m a wife to a kind and super funny husband. I'm also a mommy to a sweet little girl and a cute toddler. We live on a ten-acre farm here in the Land Down Under with two alpacas and a chocolate lab. I love hearing students’ laughter and seeing their faces light up when they finally figured out something, but I also feel really blessed for being able to share my passion for creating STEM jewels to teachers like you and students all over the world. It’s like living a charmed life! I’m sooo happy to connect with you! Thanks for being a blessing in my life! :)