5 minutes with educator Sharonda Jacobs

I think we can all agree that anyone in the education field should get a raise that would pay them as much as your favorite entertainer. While that hope is a long way off, thankfully there are teachers such as Sharonda Jacobs who is dedicated to her field and building relationships with students.

This interview has been edited.

Q. For the people that don’t know you, tell us about yourself.

A. I was born in Kingstree but spent most of my life in Columbia. For two years, I lived in Florence where I graduated fromWilson High School. At Wilson, I learned the value of building relationships among people. After high school, I returned to Columbia to attend the University of South Carolina majoring in Mathematics. After graduating, I began my teaching career at Columbia High School. As a Capital, I continued building relationships with my students.

Those relationships helped me to become a more effective and impactful teacher. I learned here that students are willing to learn when they feel that the adult in the classroom truly cares about them and their education. In fact, two of my former students are two of my closest friends. After my time at Columbia High, I began teaching at Richland Northeast and currently at Aiken Scholars Academy in Aiken.

Q. What are some of the challenges you’re facing during the coronavirus pandemic?

A. Definitely using distance learning. Although every teacher had to adjust their instructional strategies, not seeing my students was truly difficult for me. Teachers had to balance working with students without internet access or being unmotivated to complete the assignments. Again, one of my strengths in the classroom is building relationships with my students. It is extremely hard to establish a connection through a screen, if the student was there. Hearing that my students were struggling through this pandemic, missing the emotional connection with their friends was really challenging for me.

Q. The coronavirus left many students without a traditional graduation. What are some creative ways you’ve seen students celebrate graduating?

A. My niece graduated from Westwood High this year. She missed out on her prom, senior week, senior prank, senior cut day, and all the other activities most seniors experience. She was able to dress for her prom as she did the “Don’t Rush” Tik Tok challenge for her prom. However, we were all excited that Richland Two was able to still offer a graduation ceremony. Although I could not physically be at the ceremony, we were able to share the experience as it was live streamed.

The drive-thru celebrations have been the most creative things I have seen. It amazes me how people can create different ways to celebrate accomplishments. I also love seeing the schools support their students with the yard signs and personalized masks.

Q. When you’re not teaching, what do you do for fun?

A. Spend time with my family and friends, reading, catching up and clearing my “watch later” queue on YouTube, and fishing. Also, I have taken a keen interest in studying the Reconstruction Era of American History and how it still indirectly affects us 150 years later. Lastly, I would love to take up gardening, as I have become interested in sustainability.

This story was originally published July 10, 2020 at 12:08 PM with the headline "5 minutes with educator Sharonda Jacobs."