BlogsAcademicsFaculty/StaffAdmissionUpper School
Through the Eyes of a Tiger: An Interview With Mr. Jacobs
Dec 10, 2012 11:07 AM
By O'Keefe Johnson '13 - '13
Name: Preston Jacobs ('07)
Subjects Taught: Ancient World History and Psychology
College Degrees: B.A. in History and B.A. in Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Q: What is the most rewarding thing about being a teacher?
A: Being able to affect the lives of students at Darlington in the same way I was affected by Darlington teachers when I went here.
Q: Why did you choose to teach the subject area you teach?
A: They were my best subjects and I love them with all my heart.
Q: How do you inspire students to learn with passion?
A: Have an environment that’s fun to be in makes the idea of learning and working less
Q: What makes Darlington's academic program special?
A: It enforces the greatest range of responsibility of any school I’ve been around. Students must be self-reliant but they can get help whenever and in whatever subject they need help with, day or night. There are so many options for help, but only the student can choose to access it
Q: How do you vary your teaching methods to ensure that all types of learners are being reached?
A: I incorporate different types of activities every class, allowing students a variety of ways to work. I like to mix it up, using different visual, tactile, auditory methods.
Q: What are some of the ways that you integrate technology into your classroom?
A: Although I like integrating activities without technology, my students use laptops to take notes, watch movies having to do with given topics, and to watch and create PowerPoints and other presentations.
Q: What curricular freedoms do you have in the independent school environment that you would not have elsewhere?
A: There is not a required place in the coursework we must reach by a certain time. That way, students are able to really learn the material; if we need to speed up, we can, and if we need to slow down to better cover a topic, we can.
Q: As a teacher, how do you stay energized?
A: I remember what it was like to be in high school, and it pushes me to give my own students as enjoyable as an experience.
Q: What is something people might not know about you?
A: I actually behaved really well, and didn’t get into trouble. I was a goody two-shoes.
Q: What do you hope your students will say about you after they graduate?
A: That I really cared about them, and wanted to be there for them. As well as this -- I hope they remember that I was the Swag Monster.
Subjects Taught: Ancient World History and Psychology
College Degrees: B.A. in History and B.A. in Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Q: What is the most rewarding thing about being a teacher?
A: Being able to affect the lives of students at Darlington in the same way I was affected by Darlington teachers when I went here.
Q: Why did you choose to teach the subject area you teach?
A: They were my best subjects and I love them with all my heart.
Q: How do you inspire students to learn with passion?
A: Have an environment that’s fun to be in makes the idea of learning and working less
Q: What makes Darlington's academic program special?
A: It enforces the greatest range of responsibility of any school I’ve been around. Students must be self-reliant but they can get help whenever and in whatever subject they need help with, day or night. There are so many options for help, but only the student can choose to access it
Q: How do you vary your teaching methods to ensure that all types of learners are being reached?
A: I incorporate different types of activities every class, allowing students a variety of ways to work. I like to mix it up, using different visual, tactile, auditory methods.
Q: What are some of the ways that you integrate technology into your classroom?
A: Although I like integrating activities without technology, my students use laptops to take notes, watch movies having to do with given topics, and to watch and create PowerPoints and other presentations.
Q: What curricular freedoms do you have in the independent school environment that you would not have elsewhere?
A: There is not a required place in the coursework we must reach by a certain time. That way, students are able to really learn the material; if we need to speed up, we can, and if we need to slow down to better cover a topic, we can.
Q: As a teacher, how do you stay energized?
A: I remember what it was like to be in high school, and it pushes me to give my own students as enjoyable as an experience.
Q: What is something people might not know about you?
A: I actually behaved really well, and didn’t get into trouble. I was a goody two-shoes.
Q: What do you hope your students will say about you after they graduate?
A: That I really cared about them, and wanted to be there for them. As well as this -- I hope they remember that I was the Swag Monster.
