The Jacob School Blog

Student blog about classes and life at The Jacob School.

Saturday, January 17, 2009

Friday, August 15, 2008

Changed My Life

The Jacob School is a wonderful place with a wonderful environment and it has helped me through many challenges in my life. My name is Casey F. and I used to go to an alternative school. At this school I was disruptive, irresponsible, immature, and in turn, very depressed about it all. My mom and I looked into The Jacob School. At first I did not want to go; little did I know I was going to make great friends, get respect from my teachers right at the start, and begin to turn my life around. My grades have improved astronomically and shot up from D's and F's to A's and B's, and I finished the year with a 3.2 GPA, which is amazing! Next year I will be getting a job and getting my driver's permit. My attitude has changed dramatically, so I guess you could say that this school saved AND changed my life.

-Casey, 14 years old

Samantha's Perspective

The Jacob School is different from other schools because you get more attention from the teacher, you get to know your classmates better, and you don't have all these distractions from a lot of other students. I have been only going to The Jacob School for a few months and it has really helped me with my social skills and to get back on the right grade level.
Many students do not always understand what the teachers are teaching them, so they get frustrated and want to give up or don't do so well on their assignments, but at this school you work at your own pace so you don't fall behind. Carrie is a wonderful teacher; she takes time to show you how to do your assignments. She makes sure you understand before she goes to help another student. Both Carrie and Mark help all the students out because they care and want to see us succeed and do well because they know all of us have the potential to do so. At a lot of other schools I have been to the teachers do not care how you do , or if you can't understand something they move on with their lesson and hope you catch up.
The classes are small, so all the students know each other. Everyone gets along and there is no fighting or picking on each other. All the students help each other out. If someone needs help with something a lot of the students are right there to help you, and all the kids are funny, nice, and, for the most part, have positive attitudes. It is good that you get to really know the people you're around because it makes you feel more comfortable.
At most schools there is a lot of drama, rumors, or students that play around. Sure there is some drama at The Jacob School, but it is never anything serious. Because everyone here is focused on doing well and getting their work done, there isn't really any goofing around. Yes, there are some times when kids get a little distracted, but there are a lot of kids like that. Here, all the students make sure they don't get too distracted and they also help the other kids get refocused.
If you want your child to go to a school that they're going to benefit from, this is the school. There are wonderful teachers that will help them get all of their work done and make sure they're learning something. They will be around other students with positive attitudes who help each other out. There are not as many distraction as other schools and there is not as much drama. So this is a great school to go to and, as a student here, I really enjoy it!
~Samantha, 16 years old

Monday, November 12, 2007

Student Testimonial from Tim

My name is Tim, and I am a senior at The Jacob School. My teachers, Mark and Carrie, have taught me that you don’t have to be famous to be really good at what you do. Mark and Carrie together make a good team and are very good at education. The best part about them is they actually care! Mark is very good at helping his students work through obstacles in their lives, and is probably going down in history for me as my hero for all the help and guidance he has provided to me. Carrie is a very fun teacher; she likes to teach hands-on and tries to avoid bookwork at all costs (except math). She always cares and will always help with any question you might have in school. Although she tries to be our friend, she is very strict on her guidelines for school and will not bend them to save her life. She will work with us though, to help us if we are having a lot of trouble with the assignment (which is what many students like/need).

We do many fun activities; one day for class we did a mock court case. That was fun and I learned from the experience as well, which was a double benefit. We also do a field trip every other Wednesday. Mark and Carrie are not the only ones who help the students work through stuff; the students like to help each other out too. The CHARM system that is on our website is used fully, and although we all slip up occasionally, we hold each other accountable. The learning environment is good too! It is more relaxing and since it is a small school, the students are able to get one on one help.

Mark and Carrie love to bring the talent out of their students. Mark, Carrie and the school have made a huge impact on my life. They have helped me make a complete 180 in my life and their only goal is to see the students succeed. Because of Mark, Carrie and the school, I have been able to achieve my goals and I know if given the chance they can help your student reach theirs as well!

~Tim H.

Thursday, November 1, 2007

Interning for Career Experience

Though my graphic design internship at a local printing shop did not turn into a paying job, I still feel I got a lot out of it. I now have more knowledge about the career I want to work in. I also learned a lot about the other departments of the print shop, as well as my own. I am very glad The Jacob School got me that opportunity.

~Austin R.

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

First Two Weeks

~Mike S.

The first two weeks of school have passed. It was a very invigorating time, and although we still did not receive the fish, we have acquired two new students. In addition, we have defined weekly the schedule and can now concentrate on learning.

Currently, we are working on a brochure for each of our favorite books. We are also doing memory exercises where we memorize important dates in history. Some of us are going out and looking for jobs and internships in the community. Such internships, jobs and positions provide references for future ventures.

Just last week, we all signed up for free student checking accounts at Bank of America. Future classes will discuss various ways to balance checkbooks wisely. We also visited the UCF campus and sat in on several seminars on resume production.