Kyler Jackson juggles being a father, a teacher, and a coach.
Photo by Mia Nogueira
From teaching to coaching to being a great husband and father there is nothing that can stop Kyler Jackson, one of TJ’s most beloved teachers and coach. Any challenge put in front of him he will take and run with it, and his students and athletes will tell you that when Jackson is on the move you better get on board or get out of the way!
Jackson was born in 1973 in New York City. “During my childhood we moved around a lot – all around the world – because my mother was a colonel in the air force.” He later moved to California and attended Notre Dame High School, where he played basketball, football and ran track. Jackson said basketball was his favorite sport to play.
Basketball for Jackson was an enjoyable sport for which he had a unique talent and an amazing passion for the game. “Basketball in high school was a highlight for me because we were one of the top teams in Cali, and my mom worked late, so basketball was the only thing other than studying that I could do till she got home,” said Jackson.
In 1991 Jackson came to Colorado to attend Colorado State University in Fort Collins. He played college basketball for CSU but didn’t get much playing time because of differences with the coach, which later resulted in Jackson quitting after half the season. “No matter how hard I tried, I would never fit his playing criteria. He had a certain coaching philosophy and I couldt not physically contribute to that,” said Jackson.
Since CSU granted him an engineering academic scholarship, he never thought he would become a teacher; he wanted to be an engineer. “I started in engineering but I realized that dealing with concepts and drawing things rather than interacting with people got really boring, so I decided to become a teacher,” said Jackson.
Jackson has been teaching for 15 years now, and he started off as a counselor at Manual High School and soon became a teacher and a baseball coach. Sadly, Manual had many difficulties and had to shut down, but Jackson still looks fondly back to where he first started his teaching and coaching career. “At Manual I taught everything from math to keyboarding and P.E.,” said Jackson, who explains that he never planned to be a coach until the athletic director at Manual asked him to fill in for the baseball coach. Ever since then he has been coaching basketball and softball.
Due to Manual High School closing down, Jackson came to TJ in 2006 and taught math for two years. Now he is currently going into his third year teaching Spanish 3 Honors and going into his second year teaching Japanese 1 and 2. “I changed subjects because people come to math with a negative attitude so it keeps them from doing well, since they think they can’t be good at it. With language it’s new, so students are excited to learn about it,” said Jackson.
Jackson says that he is really happy that he came to work at TJ; he says that TJ is very diverse and has a great learning atmosphere and that the staff is really happy to have him be a part of TJ. “Mr. Jackson has a very energetic and engaging personality. He works well with staff and students and his sense of humor is contagious,” said Principal Sandra Just, who hired Jackson in 2006.
Jackson has been coaching softball as head varsity coach for seven years and he has been the assistant varsity coach for Steve Thomas and the girls’ basketball team for four years. “Jackson has very high expectations for his students and players. Sometimes people mistake that as being too demanding and all he is doing is trying to bring the best out of them on the field, court, and classroom,” said Jackson’s colleague and good friend Steve Thomas.
Jackson has many colleagues, students, and players who look up to him and respect him in many ways. Senior Varsity Basketball Player Rachael Newman has been a star player for Jackson for years and she says she really looks up to him for guidance as a coach. “Jackson has helped me improve my game a lot over these last three years in basketball. I love when I’m playing for him and when I do something right he gets all excited; its hilarious,” said Newman.
Basketball players truly look up to Jackson, and there are other players who are fortunate to have him as a softball coach as well as a basketball coach. “Being on two teams with him has been crazy at times. With softball I was new to the sport so he really helped me get to where I am today, and it’s all because of his dedication and drive. In basketball we joke around a lot since we have known each other for a while now. And in the classroom he is just as funny and sarcastic as he is on the court. Teaching and coaching are two of his ways to try and help kids excel and improve in the classroom and in sports,” said Junior Varsity Softball and Basketball Player Becca Randall.
Out of school Jackson has a beautiful family of three boys and one girl; Jai, Jaylyn, Jaren and Jacob whose ages are 10, 9, 6, and 3, respectively. “It’s great to see a part of me existing in the world. Fatherhood is like eating your favorite ice cream all the time,” said Jackson, smiling. Most of the time he is at school or coaching, but Jackson makes sure to take a day off that’s specifically for his family. “Sunday is my family day. We go to church and then spend quality time together for the rest of the day,” said Jackson, who says they do a lot together: they go out to eat, watch movies, and play Wii dance games.
Jackson has a very busy schedule with all his responsibilities, but he is able to stay motivated and pull through. “Being a father, a teacher, and a coach has taught me time management, to maintain my sanity,” said Jackson. With such a busy schedule on his hands, Jackson always makes sure to have some free time for himself, which includes playing video games, watching movies, and spending that extra time with his family.
