The 2015-2016 Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Teacher of the Year says the relationships he builds with students is crucial to establishing a good learning environment
By Sam Bermas-Dawes | Photo by Beth Mann
Michael Jones walks down the halls of Culbreth Middle School, greeting everyone, students and staff alike, with a warm smile and usually a joke or two. As the director of choirs walks into his empty classroom during lunch, he returns to the subject matter most near and dear to him: “I’ve been involved in music my entire life, since I was around 9 years old,” he says, taking a seat in a row of beige folding chairs normally used by the students in his elective classes. Growing up in Virginia, Michael’s father, a letter carrier for the post office, and his mother, a nurse, often had the jazz and gospel tunes of artists like Jimmy Smith and Mahalia Jackson playing in their home. “It was like background music,” he says with a laugh.
His father taught him how to play piano, and Michael went on to study music education with a focus on piano and trombone at Norfolk State University. His degree in teaching, however, did not immediately lead him to this career. For a time, he lived in Philadelphia and played in a band at the famous Caesars Atlantic City Hotel & Casino. It’s a venue that has seen performances by the likes of Mary J. Blige, Celine Dion and Lionel Richie. But Michael eventually sought a more well-balanced life and returned home to Virginia to become a teacher in 1993.
Now, after 14 years teaching choir at Culbreth, he still enjoys the challenges and rewards of teaching kids. “Every day is different,” he says. “You can have a lesson plan set up and a good idea of how you anticipate the class to go, but we have kids who learn in all different ways. You have to possess that sense of patience and provide a sense of belonging that helps the kids believe in themselves.”
Michael, who was named the 2015-2016 Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Teacher of the Year, says the relationships he builds with students is crucial to establishing a good learning environment.
“You can use my sixth graders as an example,” he says. “They only have known me for a little while. We’re in week three. I take time to tell them about the class, we do warmups, and [I] try to teach them some ideas of vocal technique. … In this class, everybody is a winner.”
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Chapel Hill Magazine is a 8-times-a-year lifestyle magazine dedicated to bringing you the very best of Chapel Hill. Our magazine places high emphasis on food and dining coverage, the arts, and community.
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