Texas Tech University

Christina Jacobs Alumni Profile

Rachel Meharg Castillo AlumniEarly Childhood alumna awarded Rookie Teacher of the Year

House Creek Elementary School's Rookie Teacher of the Year and Early Childhood (EC) graduate Christina Jacobs has a unique enthusiasm for teaching. The elementary school principal, Larea Gamble, described Christina as a reflective professional whose enthusiasm captivates students and whose teaching style personalizes learning and draws students in.

"The most enjoyable part of my job is being able to work with not only the best team, but inspiring kids to do their best," Christina said. "Most of them come to me in the beginning of the year not wanting to complete any work because math is their 'weakness', but changing their mindset to look at the small goals they have accomplished has allowed them to be open minded."

Christina is currently a 4th grade math, science, and social studies teacher. She is teaching two more subjects compared to the year before.

"This job requires me to dig into specific TEKS for not only fourth grade but for previous grades as well. This is to help fill in their gaps if they have any and to guide them to where they need to be."

Christina chose Early Childhood in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS) at Texas Tech because she wanted to be a teacher who was knowledgeable about the stages of her students' development. Christina wanted to know the different stages of a child's life and the different factors that affect them.

"To me, this helped me become a better teacher because I understand where my students are when they come to me. It gave me guidance of where I can help them."

There were many early childhood courses they helped Christina's teaching career. Christina said that many of her courses in HDFS and EC had caring professors who were previous teachers with years of experience teaching. Christina's professors taught from the heart instead of a book, which really made an impact on Christina's learning experience. She appreciated the stories her professors had to share, hearing about the dos and the don'ts of teaching, and being given the opportunity to learn from their mistakes. 

"Every professor I had was passionate about teaching and was excited to share what they knew and the advise they had – which made all of us excited to do what we love!" 

Christina strives to help each and every one of her students grow academically and in their mindset. The HDFS Early Childhood program helped Christina better assist students that are struggling by providing vital time as a student teacher. Christina said she was taught how to prepare her lessons for the appropriate TEKS and was given some ideas for engaging lesson plans among many other teaching tips and tricks. 

"Having that time in a classroom to work with and observe a mentor was very beneficial. It gives you experience in different ages, opportunities to create lesson plans and teach them, as well as collaborate with different teachers within a grade level or school," Christina said. "I could never say thank you enough to everyone at Texas Tech and the schools I student taught at for helping mold me into the teacher I am today."

Christina would like to continue teaching for a few years and stick with the 4th grade level. Christina plans on getting her master's degree in Counselor Education so that she can work with high school seniors entering college, and eventually work her way up to working at the college level. 

Christina said that she would recommend the Early Childhood degree to prospective students with her whole heart. She has already recommended it to some friends as well as close family friends. Many of her professors were able to build relationships with their students even when there were close to or over 100 students in each of their classes, which amazed Christina. 

Christina could see that her professors and advisors were invested in her journey as if it were their own. They watched her take her first steps in college all the way to graduation and beyond into her first teaching career. Christina had heard that Texas Tech's Early Childhood program was one of the best, but she never fully understood until she was there.

"This program has impacted my life in such a positive way that I would suggest it to anyone – even those who probably don't see themselves as being a classroom teacher."