Today’s Why I Teach Wednesday features math teacher Jacob McLean. Mr. McLean was an intern last year, and we are lucky to have him continue teaching here.
Jacob grew up in a small farming town on the west side of Washington State. His graduating class had just 42 students. After high school, he lived in the Dominican Republic for a few years before attending Utah Valley University. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics Education and Spanish Language. Mr. McLean has a wife and two children. His whole life outside of school is pretty much devoted to his kids until they go to bed at night. He loves taking them on walks to surrounding elementary schools to play on the jungle gyms. He also loves helping them participate in a reading program at the local library every summer and winter. When he can find the time, Mr. McLean loves carpentry and competition shooting.
Mr. McLean made the decision to become a teacher back in middle school. He says he has an innate desire to share things that bring him joy, so they can experience it also. Once he realized how much he enjoyed learning and how good it felt to learn new things, his knew his life calling lay in teaching. He had started a Spanish Education degree, but when he took a required math class, he remembered how much he loved math. He also realized that the overarching aspects of math (logic, reasoning, problem-solving, coming to conclusions based on facts) shaped who he is and gave him the tools to be successful. It was then that he decided he would teach, and offer those same skills to others.
We thank Mr. McLean for his hard work and dedication to our students!