“The final product is the most prized. It’s rewarding, sure, the process is what makes it rewarding. I just want everybody to feel like they can get there.”
Valerie Jaretsky is an English and Journalism teacher at Glen Rock High School.
From becoming editor-in-chief of the literary magazine at Montclair State to teaching a newspaper class, and finally becoming a journalism and English teacher at Glen Rock High School, Jaretsky’s current career wasn’t necessarily the path she initially envisioned herself taking. Just like in Journalism, we have to go back to the origins of Jaretsky.
Valerie Jaretsky grew up in a family filled with artistic minds. Her younger sister is a tattoo artist. Her mother used to be a graphic design artist, designing plates for Lenox. Her father, having initially landscaped golf courses, currently works and maintains the grounds for a nursing home. Continuing the Jaretsky family’s creative path, Jaretsky pursued creative writing, reading, and a personal newspaper.
Since her freshman year in high school, being an English teacher has been on Jaretsky’s mind. Jaretsky would express the funny way she came to this realization: “It was a very mundane moment. I was taking a final exam, writing about The Joy Luck Club. I was so excited about the topics I wrote about. I wanted to do something within English for the rest of my life. I want to get my ideas out on paper and to share them with others. I used to be part of the newspaper club in elementary school. I always loved writing, [teaching] was just another avenue to help people and myself.”
A love for reading and writing inspired Jaretsky to want to teach others and to share her love of reading and writing with people. That dream carried on into Montclair State University, where Jaretsky would choose to major in English and teaching.
During freshman year, Jaretsky would catch wind of a literary magazine club within the college. With her interest, Montclair’s literary magazine gained a bright new member. She joined as a club member for the magazine. But things wouldn’t stay that way. “I initially was just a member of the general club, but later became the secretary,” Jaretsky stated. “And later the editor-in-chief towards the end of my time at Montclair.”
She lived on campus at Montclair, the alternative being an hour’s commute from Morris County. After Jaretsky graduated college, Passaic County was ideal for Jaretsky. Jaretsky sought a more stable, permanent job in the Bergen County and Passaic area.
“I had done three maternity leave replacements. I was looking for a full position in this area.”
Graduating from college opened huge opportunities. Jaretsky had always been a fan of writing, and through journalism, she found an outlet for it. Especially through profile Journalism, it bore the closest resemblance to creative writing. Through the leave replacements, opportunities to teach would also open up for Jaretsky. One of them even had a newspaper class, solidifying her stance of pursuing teaching and making her connection to Journalism even closer.
With the help of Zoom, she would land a job at GRHS. Her job as an English and Journalism teacher would begin. Jaretsky was simultaneously filled with nervousness and excitement. Jaretsky, like many other teachers, needed to make the change from virtual to hybrid teaching quickly. She had great self-doubt initially when starting. Confidence would be gradual, though she still has doubts at times. Three years later, Jaretsky is still a teacher at GRHS, helping her students from her experience through her lessons.
While she had the passion in her from the start, it was only later that Jaretsky would seriously pursue Journalism. “Try things until something comes easily to you” is a stance from a James Clear interview that resonated with her.
Journalism and writing mirrored Jaretsky’s life. There’s a whole process involved with developing a good article. You can’t just jump to the goal, you have to build up. It’s a lesson Jaretsky always emphasizes to her fellow students.
That process will be a tough one, not smooth and easygoing in the steps to achieving the product. But that process shouldn’t be devalued. The process is just as important as the product and is a lesson that Jaretsky believes many can benefit from. Just like Jaretsky’s life, you can’t reach a goal and find success without taking the steps and setbacks.
