Every day Jason Crowder wakes up, makes his bed, brushes his teeth, takes a shower, drinks his first cup of coffee, gets to school by 7am, sets up class, and is ready to make a difference.
Crowder has been teaching for a very long time and throughout that time he has tried his best to make an impact on his students and every once in a while meets some of his old students.
“Every once in a while, I’ll run into kids, or on Facebook that they’ve made comments, and they still remember 2 or 3 things, every weekend,” he said.
Making an impact on students can sometimes be difficult for teachers, but that’s the challenge Crowder has decided to take on.
“I try to make kids feel welcome and cared about every day when they come to class,” Crowder said..
There are many things people can do to make students feel like they’re welcomed and cared about.
“I try to go to different activities or clubs, I’m not a part of the tabletop gaming club, but I always try to walk through, talk to kids, and see what they’re doing for their campaigns,” Crowder said.
Teachers can also make an impact on students and the school in general by making the student’s environment better.
“Just recently, Mr. Mayeske and I have, and Ms. Gladbach have created, the vape patrol, which is trying to make a difference in the environment of our school to cut down on vaping that happens in the school,” Crowder said.
Also, to help others you must be well yourself.
“I think you have to balance your personal and your own mental health because you can’t give if you have an empty cup,” Crowder said.
After all the hard work you put into others you have to put some work into yourself.
“I think it’s always key to make sure to take a step back, and not do too much, and give too much to yourself because you’ll burn yourself out eventually,” Crowder said.
After such a long day you have to unwind and prepare for the next day.
“I would probably say the moments after school when you just, come out in the hallway and talk to your other teachers at the end of the day, just that kind of decompression time,” Crowder said.
Ultimately, it is about leaving an impact on your students so that in the future, they treat you with respect.
“I think just letting every person know they’re cared for and they’re valued and they’re important and also educating the next generation. So when I’m old, they can take care of me,” Crowder said.
