An inquisitive Jon Poole looks upon a his pool of successful teaching tools. photo by A.J. Domagala
In an attempt to match the wit and sarcasm of this article’s subject, the reporter will take an unconventional approach to writing the article.
After a year shrouded in mysterious work, former administrative intern Jon Joseph Poole wears a new name tag around the halls as an assistant principal of Thomas Jefferson High school. His cryptic duties during the 2017-2018 school year prepared him for the role, providing similar tasks and leadership situations to the assistant principal position. As a result of the training, Poole landed a place on the hierarchy of school administration, finding himself in charge of the World Languages department, TJ community culture, and of course, the period 8 leadership class available to students, which he continues to lead.
Poole loves to splash around the halls and spread his cheerful mood. Born and raised right here in Denver, Poole’s introduction to educational instruction came very early, as he enjoyed coaching middle school and high school sports teams in his college years. It wasn’t until his wife suggested he pursue a line of work in education that he decided to follow his passion. The rest was history, as he continued into a teaching career, coincidentally taking his GRE test at Thomas Jefferson Community College, which then allowed him to study teaching in graduate school.
But how exactly does a teacher make a shift into administration? Perhaps he just didn’t do his job, so he was shifted to an administrative position to see if he was actually worth keeping. When asked if he decided to make the change himself, Poole responded, “I don’t know that I did. It more just happened.” Crediting his teaching style for the changes in his position, he highlights one of his most successful approaches to teaching, “I really, to a fault sometimes, get to know my students. Because of that, I’ve found ways to interact with them and help them improve, as a lot of our teachers do.” Interaction and strong connections with the student body have always been some of Mr. Poole’s key academic mentoring attributes. When laying out the real changes that came with this shift in his career, he describes some of the things he will miss from being a bit closer to his students in a teaching role, “It’s difficult because I don’t have as much direct interaction with students, and I really do enjoy working with students.”
So what’s next for the wildly enthusiastic Jon Poole? Superintendent of DPS? President of the United States? For Poole it’s unclear, although he does know something for sure, “The only thing I know for certain is that I will be here at TJ.” Whatever the future may hold for our new administrator, we can all count on him being there in the mornings to hold the door, welcoming students in with that refreshing Poole personality.
