Ensights Magazine

Tom Jackoboice

Faculty Profile: Tom Jackoboice

Editorial Staff
Tom Jackoboice teaches history at the High School. What inspires him? What are some interesting facts about him? Read more in his faculty profile.
What inspired you to become a teacher?
My mother taught French at the Montessori school that I attended. She had a playful approach to teaching that stuck with me. Later, when I was in college, I switched from a focus on physics and engineering to a concentration in history and education because I was inspired by professor Reginald Archambault, whose philosophy of education classes included questions like, “How is jazz music a metaphor for education?”
 
What drew you to Ensworth?
Thirteen years ago, my wife, LeAnn Jackoboice, who also teaches at Ensworth, encouraged me to go to an Ensworth High School Open House. I was impressed with David Chanaca’s sample lesson and saw how he and other community members put the school’s unique Vision Statement into practice. At that time, I was working at Hunters Lane High School as their International Baccalaureate Diploma Program Coordinator. I had wonderful colleagues and students there, and I knew that I would only apply to teach at Ensworth if it lived up to its reputation. It did.
 
What is your favorite part of the day? 
I love early mornings, as long as there is coffee. And I am not opposed to making an apple fritter from Donut Den part of my “complete breakfast.” Doing so motivates me to go for a long run.
 
What is one of your best Ensworth memories? 
I was pleased that we branded a celestial event as the “E-clipse.” Administrators hit pause on classes for that event and allowed everyone the time and space to observe something that was truly phenomenal.
 
The theme of this edition of Ensights is Threads. What do you think are the threads that hold Ensworth together? 
At the High School, it’s the kindness and humor that I witness every day: interactions in my commons between students and Mr. Miller and Ms. Hubert, check-ins with Ms. Angela in the lunch line, and encouragement and “rallying of the pep” from Ms. Pylkas keep the school humming along.
 
Share 3-5 facts about yourself that others might not know. 
• When I was in college, I saw a live performance of the entire Beatles White Album, and that was just the second of three sets of that concert.
  • A few years ago, I created an upper level elective called “Back to the Futurists” in which juniors or seniors study the backgrounds of and evaluate predictions made by people who were experts in a wide variety of fields. In the second half of the course, students complete a “Fifty Years From Now Project” in which they play the role of futurists. Students gain exposure to epistemology, research using the school’s subscription databases, and, whenever possible, conduct interviews with current experts.
  • I had a horrible first year of teaching (1998-1999) as an eighth grade math and history teacher and considered switching to a career as a journalist. My brief stints of student teaching had not prepared me for most of the challenges that I would face as a classroom teacher, and I had been overconfident in my abilities. I was very fortunate to get a second chance as an educator when John D’Auria, the principal of Wellesley Middle School, hired me as a sixth grade teacher. It was there that I started honing my skills as an educator.
  • Although I am a history teacher, I am TERRIBLE at remembering people’s names. Nothing makes my heart race faster than when I run into someone I have met three or four times and they aren’t wearing a name tag. If I ever call you the wrong name, please don’t take it personally. This flaw is one of many reasons why I will never run for political office. If I still haven’t learned all of my students’ names after the second week of classes, I bring them donuts (which may or not include apple fritters from the Donut Den).
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Red Gables Campus (K–8)

Nashville, TN 37205
(615) 383-0661

Frist Campus (9–12)

Nashville, TN 37221
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Ensworth is a coeducational, kindergarten through twelfth grade, independent day school.