A family affair: Sons follow mother's teaching footsteps at West Hernando Middle School
Teacher Tribute: Mom leads the way
Something special is happening at West Hernando Middle School. Mrs. Susan Jackson has taught English language arts at WHMS for 38 years. Now, her two sons, Adam and Brian, are carrying on her legacy. FOX 13's Allie Corey reports.
BROOKRIDGE, Fla. - Something special is happening at West Hernando Middle School.
Mrs. Susan Jackson has taught English language arts at the school for 38 years and her two sons, Adam and Brian, are carrying on her legacy.
What we know:
The Jackson brothers teach 7th grade civics just a few doors down from each other.
The family is just a few Jacksons short of making it The Jackson Five, except music isn’t their talent, its teaching.
The backstory:
It’s something they learned from watching their mom.
Courtesy: Hernando County Public Schools
"Even on her most tired days, she's still all about the kids, all about the impact she's making," Adam Jackson said.
The brothers both had careers with Publix, working in accounting and management.
"We’re missing that fulfillment. We had a job that we were doing well in, but we just didn't have that happiness that she has every day. Watching how happy she is and how much she loves the kids, it was pretty easy," Brian Jackson said.
Courtesy: Hernando County Public Schools
Big picture view:
The brothers had a couple of conversations with their mom and decided to make the switch to teaching two years ago.
"It's not something that I thought I would ever be doing. But just talking with her again about the impact that she's had on students and success stories, and everything, that kind of pushed me to follow in her steps as well."
The honor
Susan's sons helped FOX 13 surprise their mom in class while she was teaching.
Susan Jackson said, "It's an honor. I love what I do. I love the people I work with."
Mrs. Jackson has a unique talent of connecting with her students.
What they're saying:
"Mrs. Jackson is a really good teacher. She's very straightforward with the way she teaches. She kind of just really, really helps me keep going every time I don't want to, or if I just feel like it's not my day. She kind of pushes me to keep going," One of Susan's students told FOX 13.
"Sometimes a teacher is one of the only positive adults that a kid's going to see that day, and the ability to change the trajectory of that student and that child is powerful, and that's definitely not lost on her," Brian Jackson said. "That's something that keeps her going every single day. So, I think that's an important part of it for her, absolutely."
What you can do:
If you have a teacher or coach you’d like to nominate, email Allie Corey at allie.corey@fox.com.
The Source: FOX 13's Allie Corey gathered the information for this story from the teacher, her sons and other students at West Hernando Middle School.