It’s a breezy afternoon and the after-lunch slump has hit the students of Mission High, leaving them dreading the next hour of class. Mr. Jackson stands by his classroom door, a smile reaching all the way to his eyes and contagious enough to reach the faces of his incoming students. In the swift 15 minutes of class everyone is out on the field, being brought back to life with Jackson’s routine of afternoon stretches that you can trust to wake you up.
Despite the lack of sunlight that reaches 236, Mr. Jackson keeps the classroom sunny with his constant stream of positive energy. He watches out for his students and makes success in his class easily accessible, he translates notes and ensures everyone is where they need to be. He is welcoming and welcomes students of every background into his classroom.
“Mr. Jackson is just a very happy person,” says Sloane Snape (11th), “he makes other people happy too.”
Before Mr. Jackson began to pursue a career in teaching agriculture, he initially studied psychology! Before Mission, he helped out youth at Rosa Parks school and worked with kids who were having a difficult time interacting with other kids. When I asked him his main goal in life he told me, “more self-knowledge and a greater capacity for compassion!” No matter where he goes his light for helping others and kind-heartedness will not fade.
Mr Jackson’s favorite music artist is Bob Marley but he listened to a lot of Wu-Tang Clan and was a big fan of RZA’s music production in high school. “The music of Bob Marley was kind of foundational to wanting to live a natural lifestyle,” says Jackson, as the Bob Marley promoted social change while allowing listeners to put aside their worries for a minute and just dance.
I asked Jackson his favorite part about being a teacher, he replied, “Springtime!” Spring is the time of the year when the garden is nice and manicured and his students move onto the next grade or their next education opportunity. He knows not everyone is a fan of the stretches and the note-taking, but he appreciates the students for showing up and completing the year alongside him. He couldn’t be more happy to watch his class grow throughout the school year.
Travis Jackson is a charm.
