STAFF & FACULTY DIRECTORY PROFILE
Jill Evans
Job Title:
Spanish Teacher
Department:
World Languages
Email:
Phone: (510) 577-9100
ext.
231
Started at O'Dowd:
2025
Degrees:
BA Spanish U.C. Davis
BA International Relations U.C. Davis
MA Latin American Studies U.C.L.A.
Originally from:
Oakland
Why I Teach:
I love Spanish and working with teenagers!
Most powerful teaching technique:
Having students re-teach a grammar concept to the class is a great way to assess their comprehension of material. This technique really helps to demonstrate their understanding and shows me if I need to reteach a concept.
Why are the subjects you teach important?:
Learning how to communicate in another language opens the door to many opportunities and the ability to speak a second language is essential in today's world. Spanish is so fun to speak and learn!
Favorite quotes:
""Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get." - Forest Gump
"You have it your way, I'll have it the right way." - my dad, Jim Vernon
Favorite trivia:
1) There are only two countries in South America that are land-locked: Bolivia and Paraguay.
2) Spanish is the world's second most spoken language and is considered the number one language for the future.
3) Panama is the only country in the world where you can see the sunrise on the Pacific and set on the Atlantic.
4) Caesar salad and chocolate both originated in Mexico.
5) Cuba's literacy rate is almost 100%, higher than that of the U.S.
Recommended visual media:
America's Test Kitchen, Ted Lasso, Handmaid's Tale, A.P. Biology, The Bear, Wednesday, Ozark, Sullivan's Crossing, Flea Market Flip, Emily in Paris, Storage Wars, Tierra Incognita, My Wife and Kids, Ugly Betty, Everybody Hates Chris, Young Sheldon
Recommended reads:
Books: Remarkably Bright Creatures, Lessons in Chemistry, The Nightingale, The Alice Network, Ready Player One
Authors: Kristin Hannah, Jojo Moyes, Curtis Sittenfeld, Elin Hilderbrand, Tarryn Fisher
Hobbies or outside interests:
Cooking, gardening, traveling, yoga, geography and learning new teen slang words:>