Jake teaches math at the same school he attended growing up and coaches the high school baseball team. He started the program in the fall of 2022 and graduated in December 2023. 

A former business major, Jake brings a wealth of community involvement and a genuine enthusiasm for teaching. He stands out for being able to create a positive classroom culture where he is able to enforce discipline with an encouraging tone. He shares his purpose for teaching: "I got into teaching because I wanted the opportunity to make a difference in the youth of my community, because I wanted to tackle unique challenges every day, and because it gives me the flexibility in my schedule to do the things I love” (like hunting, fishing and coaching high school baseball).

My teaching journey started from a different place than most. I had never considered being a teacher until my second year of college. At that time in my life I began taking my courses online and was able to work a part time job at the same time, that job that I began was as an Instructional Assistant at the middle school in my hometown. I worked in that position for the first semester of that year and realized through that time that I enjoyed being around the students and being able to influence their lives in ways that anyone outside of the school would never be able to. This motivated me to accept a full time position to start the second semester of that year as a math teacher/coach in my own classroom. During this time I really grew as an educator and as a person.

I realized during that time that not only was I blessed with the opportunity to influence students' lives in a special way, but also that they were influencing mine in ways that I didn't even notice before. I was learning to be more patient. I was learning how to see things from someone else's point of view. I was learning how someone's past and their background shapes them into who they are as a student and as a person. I would be lying if I pretended there have not been challenges throughout my teaching career thus far, but facing those challenges is one of my favorite things about the job. It helps me grow and learn new things every day. Rarely are two days in a week ever the same, the curriculum is always changing and so is the classroom atmosphere and that keeps the job from ever becoming monotonous. These are just a few of the things that made me decide teaching was for me!

What was your favorite part of the T2T program?

My favorite part of the program was that it was all asynchronous online work. I enjoyed being able to work at my own pace and when I was free instead of having to make my schedule around specific times for the program.

What was the most valuable support you received from MathTrack in your journey to completion?

I received a lot of great support from MathTrack during my journey to completion. From Dr. Nemcik's support through the courses and her answering any questions that I had in a timely fashion, to Ishmael always being an outstanding liaison when I needed help from the office. I am very thankful for the support that I received throughout my journey to completion.

What was the hardest part of the program?

The hardest part of the program was to meet deadlines or due dates while working full time, coaching, and trying to have a personal life. I think sometimes the assignments were overwhelming. However, I do think that everyone did a good job with being flexible and understanding with the due dates and I appreciate that very much. 

How long did you study for the Math Praxis and what resources did you use? How challenging was it for you? 

I didn't study for the Math Praxis. The test was challenging, there were several questions on the test that I did not understand. On these questions I tried to eliminate an answer or two that I knew it couldn't be and then choose from the remaining answers.

I think my only advice would be to stay on top of your assignments and work ahead when you have the opportunity because there will inevitably be times that you are busier than usual and are not able to get as much done. It always helped me to get as much done as I could on days or weeks that I was not super busy so that I could weather the storm on very busy weeks without getting overwhelmed with past due assignments.