Jordan Connon is a welcome new face to the building. Found in room 2108, he teaches math at a variety of levels and is there to support his students through their learning.

Who is your favorite musical artist?

I’m a big country music fan. Right now, I’m really big into Cody Johnson. I just saw him in concert this year.

What is your average coffee intake? 

I always bring a Yeti full of black coffee. It keeps me going.

What is your pet peeve in the classroom?

When things don’t necessarily go according to plan. As a teacher, you try to have the best plan in place, but the day could go different than you expect it.

What are you doing when you are out of school?

I try to get outside. I really like the outdoors. I feel like I eat, sleep, live, and breathe education all the time. So I like to hang out with my friends and family.

How long have you been teaching?

I’ve been teaching for four years before starting at Grand Haven. Before this, I was at Lansing Sexton High School.

Where did you go to high school and college?

Portage Northern High School and Adrian College.

Have you found something more difficult than you expected transitioning to GHAPS?

I found that there’s a little bit more work involved. From a teacher’s perspective, like having to be organized.

Have you felt accepted at GHAPS?

I received a lot of support here. Right from the get-go from all kinds of staff members, some not even in my department.

Did you always wanna be a teacher? 

I did in high school when I was a sophomore, there was this teacher of mine that had a really, really big impact on me. His name was Mr. Messing. He really inspired me to enjoy math and get invested in knowing the steps and understanding it. Before that, I knew I wanted to be a teacher, but I didn’t know what I was going to teach. I was exposed to the teacher life, if you will, through my grandparents growing up, they were both educators.

What makes your classroom unique?

I really try my best to make sure I deliver the best lesson for my kids. I mean, I call them my kids, but they’re my students, because that’s how I feel about them. I make sure that they’re taken care of and they receive the best education that they could possibly get.

If you could change one thing about your curriculum, what would it be and why?

I would really like personal finance to be a primary focus. I feel most students of this current generation are kind of falling short of that when they leave here.

What does your typical planning hour look like?

I’m teaching back to back to back until sixth period. So I just needed like five or ten minutes to debrief and then I’m back to getting things done.

Any final comments?

I’m really looking forward to a great first year and many more to come after that. As of right now, I don’t plan on going anywhere else.