Jason Nicholson: 'Teaching is underrated'
Monterey High School
Monterey High School biotechnology and International Baccalaureate chemistry teacher Jason Nicholson did not start his career thinking he would become a teacher. He thought he would become a professional artist and went to college to study art. His love of traveling and wilderness adventures led him into the biological sciences field and he went back to school to pursue a degree in bioscience.
In his early start as a biology and chemistry teacher, he was really surprised at biotechnology and saw it is really where all the sciences come together.
“Biotechnology is about using our understanding of living things as a tool to improve the quality of life for human beings and our environment, and using math and science to solve real-life problems,"
When asked about his greatest accomplishments or contributions to the field of education, his answer genuinely prioritizes students and the student learning experience. For Jason, his greatest reflection is teaching a lesson and he says, “It doesn't have to be any lesson in particular, but it’s when the light bulb goes off and I can see students making a connection they have not previously made. I am very honored and proud to be part of that process to see students making new connections.”
Teaching during COVID and the global pandemic was one of the most difficult years of teaching in his life.
“I didn’t know what to do other than completely throw myself into it and make it work. I had an entire cohort of students that I had never met in person, and last year was the first time I got to meet them, and many of them thanked me for making biotechnology as interesting as I possibly could,” he says.
When asked how he inspires his students, Jason says, “I think primarily number one is to make it as hands on as possible because life is hands on and I try to show them practical real applications of what they have already learned or in the process of learning. Students always ask ‘Why do I need to know this?’ and this course is an opportunity to take bits and pieces and see how they can apply it to real life problems. I try to make activities as authentic as possible (e.g., real life problems) and let them come up with the solutions instead of repeating back a solution someone else comes up with.”
“If students don’t see you as a real person, they won't see you as authentic,” he says. “They want to be seen as individuals and recognized as individuals, and building a personal 1:1 with students builds trust. That is really what life is about - getting to know people and learning how to work with others to solve problems.”
“Teaching is underrated,” Jason Nicholson states adamantly. “It has gotten incredibly difficult and only gotten increasingly more difficult in the last few years. There are so many moving parts and many believe that teaching is about knowing the content, yet that is the least important part of teaching. The most important part is recognizing students as human beings and helping them develop as human beings -what is right, what is wrong, how to make good decisions, and encouraging them to work with others to solve problems.”
Jason has taught at Monterey High School for 10 years. He earned associate of arts and associate of science degrees from Cabrillo College in Aptos, and a bachelor of science degree in ecology and evolutionary biology from the University of Santa Cruz. He studied abroad at the University of Cape Town in South Africa. He and his wife reside in Santa Cruz.