Jackson named Student of the Month

Jackson, an Eagle Scout, comes from a family of teachers. His father was a high school math teacher for 33 years and Jackson’s sister, Savannah, is a CSC alumna who teaches kindergarten in Chadron.

In addition to college courses, Jackson enjoys being a tutor with the after-school program for Kindergarten through second grade students.

“The kids are full of energy all the time. We teach them activities and life lessons; things that they'll always be able to use, and help them with their homework,” Jackson said. “I do one activity where we lay hula hoops along the gym floor and they have to hop through the hoops and then play rock, paper, scissors. They learn true sportsmanship.”

He learned the power of using interactive objects to teach math from former CSC Professor Dr. Beth Wentworth.

“There's a couple of kids who are more visual learners so I'll use a marker board or sometimes I'll use crayons or counter chips as manipulatives. It really does help them because when they have trouble with patterns it's easier than explaining it. You use the manipulatives so they can see it and understand it better,” Jackson said.

Jackson praises his academic adviser, Dr. Dawn Brammer, for her helpfulness.

Brammer said Jackson is a great student with a positive attitude.

“He is always prepared for classes and goes above and beyond the requirements for courses. He is active in the after-school programs and is going to make a great teacher,” Brammer said.

Education Club is another aspect of his experience at CSC that adds to Jackson’s preparation and professional development as a pre-service teacher.

“In Education Club, you meet a lot of people who are going into the same profession as you, and you can talk about your future goals, and plan different activities around education,” Jackson said.

He is eager to begin his teaching career and applied for a substitute teacher’s license after completing a Human Relations course co-sponsored by ESU 13 and CSC.

“I'm just waiting for the Department of Education to approve it, so I can get into the schools and get some more experience before I'm done with college and will be teaching in my own classroom,” Jackson said.

He plans to teach for a couple of years and then pursue a master’s degree at CSC.

“My family used to come to the State Park and camp for a couple of weekends. We did a lot of hiking and had fun. I really enjoy this area, so I would like to find a job around here,” Jackson said.

Chadron State College’s Project Strive/TRiO program, located in the lower level of the King Library, is an academic enrichment program committed to help students succeed. Project Strive also focuses on career exploration, cultural and social enrichment and self-awareness. To be eligible for the program, a student must be one of the following: A first generation student where neither parent has a four-year degree, meet low income status based on U.S. Department of Health and Human Services criteria, or have a documented disability. For more information, visit www.csc.edu/projectstrive.

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