A teacher, a friend

MLHS students recognize teacher for his commitment to education and students

MOSES LAKE — In room 318 it is not unusual to see students on their lunch hour crowding around the desk of history teacher Ken Jacobs.

This is a normal thing, said Moses Lake High School student Sara Seanez who has had Jacobs for a teacher at least twice in her high school career. "We would rather be in here than going out to lunch."

And yesterday at 10:45 a.m., students returned once again with lunches in hand to visit with Jacobs, someone they consider to be a mentor and friend.

However, yesterday's visit was different because the students had something important to share with Jacobs; something teachers may not hear everyday from their students.

"We think you're awesome," said student Sara Seanez while the other students in the room nodded their head in agreement. "You're a great teacher."

Yet those few meaningful words don't begin to show the great admiration these students have for their teacher, a person who they say has made their academic experience better and their lives fuller.

"It's his stories," said student Lexie Graham. "Like the one where he told us about how as a child he would eat the cream in between the Oreos and then place the two sides of the Oreo back together and put them back in the bag."

"I look forward to coming to class every day and I want to learn," said student Sara Hanold. "It's his enthusiasm," she says that keeps her going.

But the feeling is mutual.

"It's the students that keep me going," Jacobs said while sitting cross-legged at his desk, sporting a Washington State University Cougars jacket with no shoes on.

Having coached several sports throughout his teaching career, a career that Jacobs will only say has lasted several years, he likens teaching to practicing sports; the concepts have to be continually reinforced, he says. "When students tell me I have asked them something a hundred times before I tell them 'yeah, that's because I like you to know it.'"

Aside from his teaching style, which often uses trivia games and current events to keep his students interested and having fun, it's the little things he does that also keep students coming back.

For instance, Jacobs has been known to coincide his dress code with his history lessons. "He has a Abraham Lincoln and a Civil War shirt he sometimes wears, depending on the lesson for class," Seanez said laughing. It keeps learning fun and interesting, she added.

When trying to think of a word or two that describes their teacher, several words come to mind for students: "Intriguing, awesome, personable," they shout intermittently.

"There just isn't one specific word that can describe him," Seanez said.

With just one more year left in high school for some of Jacobs' students, they want to make sure and take a class with him one last time before graduating. "We're trying to convince him to teach civics next year so we can take him again," Seanez said.

But for now, lunch hour visits and breaks in between classes seem to allow enough time for Jacobs and his students to catch up and share time together.

As a result of a friendship with Jacobs that began in the classroom, these students say they have gained new insight and appreciation for teachers. "We have a better respect for teachers and history," Noteboom said. Teachers work hard and their work is appreciated, she added.