Ms. Bonafide is grading quiz after quiz when she comes upon a series of artistic doodles and the first thing that comes to her mind; I have to “Insta” this. After posting the picture of the doodles to Instagram, she sees a comment from the artist, who thinks it’s hilarious.

Recently announced Langley Teacher of the Year, Ms. Jennifer Bonafide got nominated by her students in part because of her unique teaching style, in which she utilizes social media.

Ms. Bonafide is an avid user of Instagram (@jmbonafide). She is known to post pictures of delicious food, on which she posts pictures of delicious food, her dog Brady and her fashion. She also makes friendly comments on students’ photos, saying things like “Happy Birthday! I love your dress.”

Students love her use of Instagram because it allows them to know the real Ms. Bonafide. “I love following Ms. Bonafide on Instagram because she is awesome and it is cool to know a teacher outside the confinements of school,” said senior Rosie Mahoney.

Ms. Bonafide recently got a Twitter account (@JMB0107) as well, which she also uses to communicate with students. Her tweets seem to intrigue and inspire her students. “I love her use of Twitter. I always throw her a quick retweet,” said senior Drew Armstrong.

Ms. Bonafide began using social media sites when her students told her about the advantages of participating in social media. She recognizes that it gets her students to invest more time and effort into her English class.

“Using Instagram and Twitter takes English outside of the classroom, which allows students to better connect with the material,” she said.

While there are many advantages to using social media, she realizes the risks they entail.

“I am very careful about what I put up on my accounts,” she said. Both of her accounts are on set to private so she can approve who follows her. She also does not post many pictures of her private life.