GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — As 13 ON YOUR SIDE surprised our newest Teacher of the Week at Central Kelloggsville Elementary, the students were so excited they revealed the news before we could.
“My first reaction was what is going on? I knew it was something good. Something good was happening. Didn’t know what, but I knew something positive,” said Austin Jackson after he learned he had been chosen.
Kelly Farkas is the principal at Central Kelloggsville Elementary School. She said, “The fact that we truly surprised him is just a surprise for me. He is a phenomenal teacher.”
He’s teaching in the same community that taught him.
“I’m actually from Kelloggsville. I actually grew up about a mile down the road from here. I went here all the way from preschool until the day I graduated,” said Jackson.
He always intended to go back.
“I graduated with the intention to go into school to be an athletic director, to be in athletics. To actually come back here and help in athletics.”
Once the pandemic hit, though, those plans changed. Still, he landed right at home.
“I started off as a para pro in 2020 and since then got my teaching certification and have been teaching third grade for four years and couldn’t imagine doing anything else,” said Jackson. “I’m actually teaching with colleagues now, teachers who I had as a kid.”
He also works alongside one of his siblings.
“Having my little sister here on staff as well makes it feel like home,” he said after embracing her.
“You don’t teach this in college. He is just the essence of what you would want in a teacher,” said Principal Farkas.
Jackson is now working in the classroom and in athletics like his original plan.
“He runs morning duty, he runs recess duty, he coaches our intermural teams, he’s now, this year’s the first year he’s our varsity basketball coach. He just got that job. So, he puts a lot of time, sweat and tears into these kids,” said Farkas.
Jackson described how, “I show up to kids’ football games who don’t play for the school. I show up to soccer games. Anything like that. Any way I can invest and give back to these kids in this community, I do that.”
Even when he should be taking a break.
His wife and daughter were there for the surprise and are at the school every Friday when Mr. Jackson invites students to eat lunch with them.
“He takes his own time to come in and eat with the kids and just make those connections and it has helped some of our kids that struggle a little bit. They love Mr. Jackson,” said Principal Farkas.
“I am so blessed that I get a paycheck out of this, but it is so fun and it’s so fulfilling,” said Jackson. “It’s not what I envisioned at all. Never would’ve thought I would be a classroom teacher. Always saw myself around sports and athletics though, for sure. But when I did my internship in college and I saw that a big part of athletics are how students perform in the classroom and their whole relationship with school transfers out onto the playing field, I wanted to be on the other side of that.”
Farkas added, “The fact that he’s male is such key to our students here because they need that representation. It’s hard to get male teachers.”
The honor brought Jackson to tears.
Wiping away his tears, he said, “I’m just so blessed that I have the opportunity to make an impact on these kids that are making equally a big of impact on me.”
If you have someone you’d like to nominate as our next Teacher of the Week, just text the word “teacher” to 616-559-1310.