Welcome

My name is Dave Jones; welcome to my Professional Portfolio. I was born on September 17th, 1983 and raised in an Upstate New York town called Endwell, which is a suburb of the greater Binghamton area. Being the first son in a suburban, upper-middle family and living in a relatively small metro area, the greatest and most unique influences of my youth were my Catholic upbringing and education, which instilled in me above all else a desire for humility and a dedication to social justice. While attending Seton Catholic Central High School, I studied Latin under a certain Mr. Hyland, who doubled as our state-champion Mock Trial coach. Having obtained a graduate degree from the University of Chicago in Classics, he inspired me to follow a similarly intellectual path. I enrolled at the University of Notre Dame upon graduation, eventually earning a B.A. with a double major in the Great Books and Classics while participating in the Liturgical Choir and an inner-city tutoring program called Teamwork for Tomorrow. Being now at that time a young, idealistic college graduate, my involvement with Teamwork for Tomorrow ultimately impelled me to continue my service to the underprivileged. I had grown dismayed at the social complacency and misplaced intentions of my fellow volunteers and the lack of noticeable continuity in the progress of the poverty-stricken children we attempted to reach, but still retaining my belief that education is the foremost tool for achieving any pretense of social justice, I wished to make a more permanent, meaningful, and unique impact as a Latin teacher in a needy school. I applied to Mississippi Teacher Corps, looking forward to continuing my own studies in a graduate program and hoping that somewhere in a Mississippi school district there was need of a Classicist. In fact, there was. Murrah High School, the flagship school of the Jackson Public School District, had lost its Latin teacher of forty-some odd years and had been seeking a replacement for two years. I was in the right place at the right time. Since I was hired I have built a solid, reputable Latin program through the AP level, coached an official state-champion Quiz Bowl team, organized several major out-of-state field trips, and helped sponsor a joint off-campus Civil Rights club with several Teacher Corps colleagues at Jim Hill High School. I have become a respected community member and hope that I have been a positive, unique influence on the lives of my students.

David Jones's Professional Portfolio

dlmjones@gmail.com