In August, teacher Jacob Lewis molded his way into the school’s ceramics position after being an elementary school teacher for nine years. When Pickney and Broken Arrow closed down, he came back to Free State after being a paraeducator ten years ago. Although it was a sad goodbye from the elementary schools, Lewis stated that he is excited to be here.
“I knew I needed a change, whether it was to continue teaching or not, and maybe at a different level like I am now, which I am very thankful for,” Lewis said.
Working at a school five days a week is what Lewis knew he was going to do. Lewis said no matter what he is doing and what subject he is teaching, as long as he had some competence in that subject, he would always feel compelled to help students.
“I realized that I’m a teacher at the core,” Lewis said. “I really started to appreciate what makes education meaningful for the students that we help.”
According to his students, his curriculum and teachings have impacted students and have piqued their interests.
“[Ceramics] is a super fun class. It’s been nice to have an hour out of the day that I can just chill and create,” junior Anne Cross said. “Also, [Lewis] is super nice and flexible.”
Lewis tries to teach students not just about art, but how it is related to other concrete subjects like math and science. He believes that art and learning about art is impactful for students.
“I really started to appreciate what makes education meaningful for the students that we help. It sounds kind of cliche, but I believe that art does have the capacity to change the world and if not the world, then then how we exist in the world,” Lewis said.
