Ms. Jacobson goes above and beyond to help her students. photo by Lilah Tuchez
Angela Jacobson works hard to ensure all students thrive in her class.
There are many different fields of science, and plenty of students have an interest in these fields. Thomas Jefferson High School is determined to teach students as much as possible, so there are multiple options for science courses. With many great science classes comes many great science teachers, one of whom is Angela Jacobson. Whether for Earth science or physics, she has taught many of TJ’s students over the past eight years.
Before she became a teacher, Jacobson got her degree in Physiology and Sports Science from the University of Utah. “I did that for a long time, and I became a mom, and then I realized there wasn’t a whole lot of science being taught. So, I went back and got my Master’s in education and became a science teacher,” Jacobson recalled. However, she didn’t start her teaching career at TJ. In fact, she started as a teacher at Henry World Middle School until it closed down. After the closure, Jacobson was drawn to TJ as she already knew some of the other staff.
Jacobson has had many positive experiences over the course of eight years, but says her favorite part about being at TJ is “definitely just the culture we have here… it just felt really good to be here, right? And I think that is just because we’ve got really great students, we’ve got really great staff, and everybody wants to make this place a fun place to be.” She went even further to describe the first time she really started to appreciate the culture here, her very first Spirit Week. When she first walked into Spirit Week, she saw the decorated hallway. She loved seeing the amount of school spirit present in the hallways, evident in the decorations and the students who participated in the Spirit Week themes by dressing up. Then, when other events came around, such as pep assemblies and the seniors painting their parking spots, Jacobson really began to appreciate how much is done for the students. “It’s just like the little fun things we do here that I just had never seen before.” These experiences made Jacobson believe TJ was a positive place to be and helped her feel welcome during her first year.
Many students come into science classes feeling discouraged, especially in physics, but Jacobson is here to help. She explains that one of her favorite things is seeing “lightbulb moments” in students, where the material clicks in their heads. “I think there’s so many of these, like, preconceived notions about what you’re good at and what you’re not,” Jacobson says. She explains how those moments help students in the long run. When people start understanding a subject they previously thought they couldn’t, it instills a sense of victory and confidence in their minds, which, in turn, helps them learn even more. Jacobson doesn’t want students to be discouraged. Instead, she wants them to be secure in whatever they choose to do in the future, no matter what challenges they might face along the way. Students will leave her class with a newfound confidence in their ability to learn. Her class is an opportunity for students to learn both physics and problem solving skills.
Outside of being a teacher, Jacobson is married and a mom to two daughters, ages 22 and 24, so she does “a lot of mom stuff.” She enjoys going camping with her daughters and reading books they recommend. She also loves the outdoors and takes time to relax in nature. Whether in nature or in the comfort of her own home, Jacobson enjoys taking time to wind down. As a teacher, she does a lot of work. Between planning her labs, her lessons, and grading papers for over 100 students, she has a very busy schedule. So, when she gets the opportunity, “doing nothing feels, like, really fun.”
Jacobson is an integral part of the TJ community and has taught many students in the building. Over the last eight years, her willingness to help her students has helped many overcome their fears of science classes. But this is just the beginning, and she’s still making an impact to this day.
