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Education Alumni Profiles: Jacob Way (’13)
January 01, 2020
"Being a good teacher is important, but in the future, your students won’t remember
your lesson plans. They will, however, remember how you treated them. They will know
how much you love them. In fact, they will remember that their entire life."
Jacob Way heard about Ouachita through his high school teachers. When researching Ouachita’s education program, Jacob knew that he had to go to Ouachita if he wanted to be a great teacher. Consequently, Ouachita was the only school he applied to.
After graduating from OBU, Jacob married another OBU alum, Rachel Street, and was hired to teach and coach in Lubbock, TX. He taught a variety of classes and was AP certified and AVID trained. He coached volleyball, softball, and girls’ basketball. One exciting venture at Lubbock was being a part of teaching a pilot dual credit class with Texas Tech University. Jacob is currently teaching secondary social studies in an international school in Tianjin, China.
When asked how OBU prepared him for his career, Jacob stated “Ouachita prepared me in two major ways. We first learned how to plan a proper lesson plan. Learning how to look at a standard, prepare several instructional strategies, see how they fit together, and then use a formative assessment to make sure the standard was met is the bread and butter of teaching. I thought this was how every teacher prepared lessons but quickly learned that OBU had set me apart from other teachers. The second way OBU prepared me was through lots of practice and feedback.”
When thinking of his favorite OBU Education Program memory, Jacob recalls his first time to prepare and teach a lesson from an actual state standard. “I remember researching, making a Powerpoint, finding video clips, and practicing discussion questions for over a week. Finally, the class time came, and I got to teach my peers and instructor. I don’t remember how the lesson went, but I do remember feeling such a sense of accomplishment, competence, and true joy afterward. And the funny thing is, I had to modify it a bit, but I still use the same lesson today. ”
Looking back over his years of teaching, one of Jacob’s favorite P-12 classroom memories was getting to tell all of his senior history students they passed their state test in order to graduate. “I had several seniors who were trying to pass the test for a second time. I remember quickly scanning their names and not seeing anyone who failed and just feeling a sense of relief and joy for them. It was some of the best news I’ve gotten to share in my life. Just seeing my seniors who had struggled break down in tears with joy, was so moving and rewarding.”
Thank you, Jacob Way, for being a life changing educator!
Jacob Way:
- Class of 2013
- BA History and Secondary Education - Ouachita Baptist University
- Estacado High School -Lubbock, TX
- Tianjin International School -Tianjin, China
- Distinguished Social Studies State Testing -2015
- EHS Difference Maker - 2016
Jacob Way heard about Ouachita through his high school teachers. When researching Ouachita’s education program, Jacob knew that he had to go to Ouachita if he wanted to be a great teacher. Consequently, Ouachita was the only school he applied to.
After graduating from OBU, Jacob married another OBU alum, Rachel Street, and was hired to teach and coach in Lubbock, TX. He taught a variety of classes and was AP certified and AVID trained. He coached volleyball, softball, and girls’ basketball. One exciting venture at Lubbock was being a part of teaching a pilot dual credit class with Texas Tech University. Jacob is currently teaching secondary social studies in an international school in Tianjin, China.
When asked how OBU prepared him for his career, Jacob stated “Ouachita prepared me in two major ways. We first learned how to plan a proper lesson plan. Learning how to look at a standard, prepare several instructional strategies, see how they fit together, and then use a formative assessment to make sure the standard was met is the bread and butter of teaching. I thought this was how every teacher prepared lessons but quickly learned that OBU had set me apart from other teachers. The second way OBU prepared me was through lots of practice and feedback.”
When thinking of his favorite OBU Education Program memory, Jacob recalls his first time to prepare and teach a lesson from an actual state standard. “I remember researching, making a Powerpoint, finding video clips, and practicing discussion questions for over a week. Finally, the class time came, and I got to teach my peers and instructor. I don’t remember how the lesson went, but I do remember feeling such a sense of accomplishment, competence, and true joy afterward. And the funny thing is, I had to modify it a bit, but I still use the same lesson today. ”
Looking back over his years of teaching, one of Jacob’s favorite P-12 classroom memories was getting to tell all of his senior history students they passed their state test in order to graduate. “I had several seniors who were trying to pass the test for a second time. I remember quickly scanning their names and not seeing anyone who failed and just feeling a sense of relief and joy for them. It was some of the best news I’ve gotten to share in my life. Just seeing my seniors who had struggled break down in tears with joy, was so moving and rewarding.”
Thank you, Jacob Way, for being a life changing educator!
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