Educator of the Week: Jaxon Stringer
It’s time now to recognize this week’s Educator of the Week, brought to you by the Tennessee Education Lottery.
Jaxon Stringer is a high school teacher at West Carroll Jr./Sr. High School in Atwood.
He teaches 10th Grade English and 9th through 12th Grade Theatre.
Stringer’s mother was a teacher, but that’s not where the motivation stopped.
“I’ve always loved English,” Stringer said. “I had a really great English teacher in high school and I’ve had a lot of great advisors at UT Martin who push me to teach and I’ve never regretted it since.”
Stringer’s goal is for his lessons to be useful in the real world.
“That’s what it means to me to teach, is I don’t want them to just say ‘Hey Mr. Stringer taught me this and I’ve never used it again’, I want to be applicable to real life, something they can use forever,” he said.
Stinger shares how he hopes to grow independence in his students.
“I want to use texts and see how all these different authors have always done something different, or maybe a lot of them are pointing toward the same thing, and that can help guide their thinking too. I want them to think for themselves, not just for what the book tells them to think. I want them to read a bunch of different stuff and make their own opinions.”
Stringer explains the tools behind a good foundation in writing.
“So you get grammar, sentence structure, vocab, and all that stuff builds into good writing, you know, and that writing is essential for them to express themselves and to express opinions, because a lot of what we do in the world, if you want to make a change, you got to write, so I want them to take what they read, write about it, and maybe they can make a difference. Not maybe, but they will.”
Stringer also shares how he wants his students to engage with the material.
“I feel like if they’re getting it too easy, I’m not doing my job,” he said. “I feel like, like, you know, you want them to get the answer, you want them to and you don’t want to just get them there. Like, I need to see the wheels turning a bit and I need to see that frustration. Makes me feel like I’m making a difference.”
Stringer shares that the Tennessee HOPE Scholarship is also making a difference by allowing students less worry about finances when pursuing higher education, which allows students to push their goals to where they want to be.
For future educators, Stringer highlights the importance of passion.
“You never know till you try. Do it. Teach something you love, you know. Because if you come to school and you teach something you don’t love, then you’re not gonna love it.”
This year, Stringer is actually doing a mentor program to help teachers feel like they’re teaching better.
“My biggest thing is that I love English and I love Theatre and, so, I love to come in and teach every day. I want some people to come in and want to teach.”
Stringer is now eligible for the Tennessee Education Lottery Educator of the Month award.
To vote for him or any other nominees, go to the Tennessee Education Lottery website.
To nominate an educator for our Educator of the Week award, email us at educator@wbbjtv.com.
