Meet Jonathan Thompson | Science Educator, Tutor, and DJ

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jonathan Thompson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jonathan, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
Finding that elusive work-life balance is a challenging task for most educators, myself included. When I began teaching in 2013, I was spending a huge portion of my daily time at the school taking care of classroom matters. For the first few years into my career as an educator, my life revolved mostly around being a teacher. Getting to school early and leaving late just to grade papers and lesson plan at home were all just part of my routine. It wasn’t until nearly a decade later that I discovered that the demand for online learning solutions was growing – especially after the pandemic. Now that I am an online teacher and tutor, my work-life balance has drastically improved. I complete most of my work from my own home office and have the time flexibility to pursue my other passions, such as music production, DJ, and serving with my church.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Let’s rewind to the spring semester of 2013. I’m a senior finishing up my final year of college at Baylor University, debating if I should continue into grad school to pursue a career in professional counseling, or to start earning income by getting a full time job after I graduated. Feeling the time crunch to make a decision, I talked with family to for wisdom on the matter. My mom, a true veteran in the field of education, asked if I had ever considered becoming a teacher – which I had not until that moment. She sent me info for a teacher certification program which basically would put me on the fast-track to becoming a certified teacher. I decided to go this route, and ever since then I have been a high school science teacher. It has been an equally challenging and rewarding experience. I taught in both low-income and suburban neighborhoods, each coming with it’s own unique needs. My favorite part of teaching has been developing positive relationships with students so that they actually want to learn. In my 11 years of being a teacher this has not changed.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
One of my favorite places to go is Trinity Park in Fort Worth, Texas. It’s a huge, beautiful area with serene waters, trees, trails, and an close view of the Fort Worth skyline. I’d encourage anyone who wants to relax or exercise outside to go and check it out. I also like Lake Carolyn in Las Colinas which is a smaller area but has beautiful views of the city. As a chill type personality, I gravitate towards these types of places, so I’d imagine others like me can appreciate these spots.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There have been several people who have poured into me all throughout my journey as an educator, many of whom are principals and learning coaches. In particular, the most impactful person on my journey has been my mom, who is an accomplished educator herself. She is the one who encouraged me to consider teaching as a career option after college. She mentored me throughout my first years in the classroom, constantly giving me ideas and advice on how to improve my craft as an educator. Without her influence, I highly doubt I would have stayed in the classroom as long as I have.

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