About me
I'm Tshwjxeeb Vaaj.
Hi, I'm Tshwjxeeb, an instructional designer who comes from both the classroom and the court. I'm a credentialed chemistry teacher, and for five years I was also program director and head coach of a boys' volleyball program, often doing both full-time at once.
I help people build skills by designing practice that feels like the real moment.
My background
The classroom and the court, side by side.
I didn't choose between teaching and coaching. I did both at the same time. During my years as a full-time substitute teacher and as a chemistry student teacher, I was also running a boys' volleyball program as its program director and head coach. My days were in the classroom teaching high school chemistry aligned to California's science standards, and my afternoons were in the gym breaking complex motor skills into steps athletes could practice and master.
The two roles worked hand in hand. Both came down to the same skills: planning a clear lesson, breaking hard ideas into steps, and checking whether learners could actually do it. Along the way I mentored the coaches on my staff and collaborated with a 2nd grade teacher, so my learners have ranged from kindergarten through high school graduation, plus the adults who teach them.
Instructional design brings both sides of my experience together. I understand how learning works from my time in the classroom and my graduate study, and I've applied Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in the lab as well as on the court. That foundation lets me partner with subject matter experts in any field: they bring the expertise, and I bring the strategies and tools that turn it into training people can actually apply. I'm a creative at heart, and I'm excited to build learning that helps teams and organizations perform. Let's connect and explore what we can create together.
More about me
Life off the clock.
Outside of work, you'll find me deep in an RPG or a cozy game, tinkering with retro handhelds, or building yet another mechanical keyboard.
Volleyball is still part of my life, and I love getting out into nature and traveling whenever I can.
I believe the best learning happens when people feel safe to try, miss, and try again. That guides me professionally as much as it does personally.