Canton High School
Canton, MI
Jeff Blakeslee or JB as most students call him is a faciliteacher unlike any other. I had the pleasure of being JB’s student for three classes- Honors Humanities Adv. Sci-Fi and Adv. Composition and the positive impact on my education and well-being in the two years I’ve known him is unmatched. In a school system where students are taught to regurgitate information to receive the highest letter grade JB’s way of teaching is quite different. Though the course material can be thoroughly difficult the goal of chasing the understanding of the material rather than the letter grade is highly promoted in the classroom. JB encourages students to ask questions and seek understanding and it is the students job to thank him when they ask questions; JB believes that asking questions justifies his existence as a teacher. JB is a total nerd (he completely owns it) and a teacher I wish more of my peers had the privilege of having. Even in a fully-virtual class JB was never shy to crack a dad-joke at seven in the morning to brighten everyone’s day. The world needs more teachers like JB and it’s time for him to enjoy the fruits of his labor kicked back on a long cruise relaxing.