Do you ever think about your teacher? Most students don’t lie around thinking about what it is like to get home, take care of children, cook dinner, clean up, plan for the next day, send emails and grade papers. It’s so easy to disconnect from the person that teaches you. Many find an easy divide between school and socializing, but teachers lie outside of this spectrum, and for some, are only seen as a device to plunder knowledge from. While I don’t think it’s necessary to connect with a teacher, I found myself wondering what teachers get from the job outside of a check, and what pushes them to stay in such a profession. I thought about what made teaching difficult, and what they derive from it. I spoke with Mrs. Jessica Jacobs, Truckee High history teacher, to possibly find an answer to some of my questions.
Jacobs thinks people have a “civic responsibility” to be aware of our nation’s history and ultimately have a better understanding about cultures, customs, life and politics. She also thinks it’s crucial to know what happened before in order to not repeat it in the future, as educated individuals will be able to move forward and give new ideas to future generations.
Understanding self worth is something Jacobs learned as she taught over time. I asked if she thought being strong was something you needed to teach, and she agreed. “Older kids can sniff out insecurities in teachers in a hot second. Right? So you exuding a confidence, especially in front of a group of students, helps maintain a certain classroom environment that wouldn’t exist otherwise.” Jacobs says.
She mentioned a point at which she was questioning whether she wanted to be a teacher or not, so I asked why she thought that teaching may not have been in her future.
Jacobs originally went into college for business, and then eventually took some art history classes, which she loved. After some contemplation with family over the years, she applied for University of Michigan at the last minute for the School of Education, and managed to get in. Jacobs thinks it’s important to chase after subjects and things that you find exciting, even if it may not be the most enticing thing financially. She didn’t really have a set dream, but was able to discover what she could thrive in with time. “It’s a lot to ask kids too- that you need to know what you want to do at 18,” Jacobs says.
Jacobs started teaching at 23, and she felt behind because everybody at the University of Michigan was very active as soon as they left. So when Jacobs came up to Truckee, she immediately picked up a subbing position, started cocktailing at Palisades on the weekends and waiting tables in the summer. She says her salary starting off was only about $1,200 biweekly “My only regret is I feel like I tried to rush it too quickly,” Jacobs says. She wished she could have utilized her time to travel and try more things. She thinks it’s worth it to grind out and spend time doing something you enjoy for worse pay. She also appreciates the feeling of family and bantering that teaching gives to her life.
The longer Jacobs taught, the less she felt pressured by teaching. When Jacobs began, she was embroiled in a stalking conflict. “It was my first four years of teaching,” Jacobs says. “I probably had grounds to sue the district and everything, But I was too young, and I wanted to continue my trajectory and live in the community.” It was heavy. There were lawyers, restraining orders, beatings, and violence. “But we moved on.” The stalker was a young female that was active within the community as well, and violence came into the picture. Another aspect she touched on was how different the situation would have been had the student been male. It was a hard thing to work through, especially for a teacher being told to form new relationships.
Jacobs remembers how the school handled it. “The leaders at the time who are all long gone didn’t take it seriously”. She found help through the legal system, not through the school.
Jacobs feels through teaching she can contribute to society. Why teaching? Jacobs finds helping people a huge motivating factor from her job. Teaching is very hands-on and active opposed to other positions, and it’s “non-stop”. When Jacob was a new mom, things were extremely hectic. Being present for students and simultaneously for her family made things very difficult. Jacobs mentions the working mom mindset giving a lot of guilt to her, as she couldn’t focus on one thing and let things balance out. And not just that contributing aspect, it’s an internal piece as well. It’s gratifying to watch time pass and see what things your students accomplish. Not attributing their success to yourself, but being a cog in a different person’s machine.
Jacobs thinks teaching is a great profession, but she also thinks there needs to be a bigger point of respect. As a teacher, Jacobs says that you make “enough to live, but you don’t make enough to thrive”. If teachers thrived, and society only let those who really cared about the profession into the classroom, things would be much better, in her opinion.
It’s interesting to dig deeper into what the job of teaching is like for a teacher. Let me know what teachers or stories you would be interested in being covered, and what questions you think would be difficult to answer. Those questions are the best kind.
