Jacobson, Paul

Teacher: Jacobson, Paul
Subjects: Honors Modern World History, regular Modern World History
Education: B.A. in business, B.A. in secondary education, social studies
Other jobs: store manager for Peoples Drugs and Bed, Bath & Beyond
Came to Blair in: 2004
Hobbies: long distance running, collecting music

Outside of school, if you were ever looking for Paul Jacobson, you would most likely find him listening to his all time favorite band, Echo and the Bunnymen. Or to any one of his thousands of CDs and records, which he collects. Other bands Jacobson favors are Franz Ferdinand, Pedro the Lion, Decline of British Seapower, Mclusky and Guided by Voices. At school, you are sure to find him in either room 123 or 216, where he teaches Honors and regular Modern World History.

This is Jacobson's first year as a teacher. Before coming here, Jacobson spent 25 years in retail. He spent 15 years with CVS and 10 years with Bed, Bath & Beyond managing stores in both Maryland and Virginia.

Jacobson became a teacher because he wanted a job that was more mentally challenging than retail work and because he enjoys working with youth. "Teaching is something I could imagine myself doing for many years,” says Jacobson.

He adds that his brother, who is a teacher at Whitman High-School, was an inspiration. "I saw how much he enjoyed teaching and felt it would be a great career change,” says Jacobson. Additionally, Jacobson chose to teach so he could spend more time with his two young children. "Retail management means working late at night and on weekends," says Jacobson.

Jacobson enjoys teaching at Blair because of the diversity and mindset of students. "They [students] have a good sense of who they are and a good sense of humor,” says Jacobson. He adds that he likes the social studies department too because of its diversity.

As a teacher, Jacobson wants his students to grasp the importance of history. "I want students to understand why history is important to how we live now,” says Jacobson. "I want them to understand that the things that influence us today are the same that changed the history of the world.”