Brian Jones

1. What is your educational background and what positions have you held?
I received my undergraduate degree from SRU in the Spring of 2010 in health and physical education.  I got extremely lucky about three months after I graduated and got a job in the AIU working at the Shuman Juvenile detention center. I have been there ever since.  

2. What do you love most about teaching?
The number one thing I enjoy most about teaching is helping the students in any way possible.  Because I work at the Shuman juvenile detention center and the Allegheny county jail, my students are very different than most. They know I am there for them, so they look up to me. 

3. Name one SRU experience, in general or specific to the field, that you will never forget and explain why.
One experience I will never forget is during my freshman year at SRU, the snowfall of 2007 in January or February. It snowed for about 8 hours straight totaling 11 inches or so.  The student body got a notice email that campus would be shut down the next day.  Well when you tell a bunch of 18-19 year olds there is no school for anyone tomorrow, what did they think was going to happen?  Dozens of us went outside and had a huge snowball fight and went sled riding.  It was a time I will never forget. 

4. What initially peaked your interest in pursuing a degree in education?
I always loved sports and I enjoyed coaching. When I was in high school, our basketball team won a state championship. Although I was very young and didn’t get much playing time, I still received a lot of respect and younger kids looked up to me just for being on that team. Ever since then I always wanted to help kids get better at a skill.

5. What makes a great teacher?
I think many attributes make a great teacher. In my eyes, it comes down to three things. The three skills I think a great teacher should have are: listening skills, respect, and the will to never give up on a kid. I think there are many good teachers out there, but to be great, these skills are required.