When DJs mix existing music, they use specific techniques to create a new sound. In a classroom of students with low reading skills, teacher Tasha Jones used the class as a mixing board. And like a DJ, she learned the modality of the students and transformed them into readers of classic literature who aspired to not only graduate high school but to go on in secondary education. Jones is a poet, educator and the founder of the Hello Beautiful Movement. A perfect blending of style and substance, her work strives to achieve an equilibrium between being a student of life and a teacher of lessons.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx.