Mr. James Jaycox has been an Exceptional Student Education, also known as an ESE teacher at Steinbrenner High School for 2 years. Before he moved to Steinbrenner, he was an ESE teacher at Walker Middle Magnet School.
While teaching at Steinbrenner, many of his older students remained, as they ended up in his class here as well. The fact that he could change his students’ lives was the biggest inspiration for Mr. Jaycox. He enjoys the challenge of working with ESE students and figuring out what makes their minds click.
Jaycox’s philosophy on teaching is to keep the classroom student-led, and unlike other teachers, he must handle behavior while keeping his students engaged. He uses a token system through a platform called Classroom Dojo” to encourage good behavior. It is run by the students within the classroom; they’re able to earn and share points to earn special rewards throughout the school year.
When trying to teach challenging topics, Mr. Jaycox must think outside the box for his learners. He uses tactics such as laughter, engaging and relatable stories to keep them interested. The biggest challenge he faces in class stems from periodic outbursts, “Occasionally, I get a behavior that is extremely tough…It’s how do you keep the other eleven students engaged while keeping everyone safe?”
Mr. James Jaycox experienced every emotion when realizing he won the Teacher of the Year. First being surprised, then having pride in what he does. He believes his involvement with other teachers and their ideas aids him in his own classroom. He hopes that when his students leave his class, they feel valued and confident in their abilities.
It’s important to Jaycox that his students can advocate for themselves and not let others bring them down or treat them badly. He shared a funny moment that he’s experienced working with his ESE students, “Students with autism often take things very literally. Just earlier today, we were running out of time for an assignment, and I told one of them to shake a leg. A moment later, I looked over, and the student was up out of his chair, physically shaking his leg!” said Mr. Jaycox. He believes that for his students to succeed, they must ask questions. They will never stop learning, and that is what life is all about.
