March 5, 2007

RETIRED SCC PROFESSOR HONORED FOR
EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING

    For many people, retirement marks a waning of activity, a time to relax from the rigors of the work world.

    Not for Leon Jones, retired SCC faculty member. Immediately after his official retirement last spring, Jones returned to the St. Charles Community College classroom to teach part-time. And he returned with two new honors – Jones was named senior professor at SCC and was selected by his peers to serve as Faculty Member of the Year for 2006-2007.

    On Feb. 28, Jones, senior professor of mathematics, will be honored along with other outstanding Missouri college and university faculty members at the Missouri State Capitol in Jefferson City. State legislators and representatives from the Governor’s office will present the awards as part of Missouri Community College Day.

    Jones began teaching full time in 1987, the first fall semester after St. Charles County voters approved the creation of the community college district. He credits his wife, Karen Jones, SCC professor of English and former Faculty Member of the Year, for her efforts as a member of the community steering committee to pass the community college initiative.

    “Karen saw the need for this county to have a community college, and I fully supported her in that,” Jones said. “Ironically, her efforts ended up creating a job for herself – and me. I was really wanting to get back into teaching at that time,” said Jones, who had previously taught in the Fort Zumwalt School District from 1965 to 1978.

    For nine years prior to beginning his SCC teaching career, Jones was a numerical control programmer for McDonnell Douglas Corporation. Jones left a senior leadership position, a much better salary, and the opportunity for advancement up the career ladder in order to teach community college students.

    “It’s important to me to know that what I’m doing with my life is socially redeeming,” Jones said. “Even though I enjoyed my work, I didn’t see how building airplanes that would be used to harm people could be socially redeeming. So I left to come here.”

    The community college offers students a stepping stone to anywhere they want to go, Jones said.  “I’ve seen people who’ve screwed up their education and their lives, and they find their second chance here. Anyone can pursue a college education with us and succeed.”

    Jones believes good teaching to be simple teaching. After 30 years in the classroom, he still loves making the light come on for students, especially for those who have feared math.

    “I’ve taught it all – from developmental math to calculus. I tell all my students that math is simple and straightforward. And I show them how to succeed.” For example, Jones emphasizes to each class the triangulation method of learning. “All you need to learn are the core concepts – those ideas that are repeated by the instructor, the primary textbook, and a third source such as a subject matter outline. Concentrate on these, and you’ll succeed as a student.”

    As part of his duties as Faculty Member of the Year, Jones will be the keynote speaker at the SCC Student Awards Banquet in April and will lead the college’s commencement ceremonies in May as the grand marshal. And, of course, he will continue teaching a few hours each semester.

    “Teaching is what I do,” Jones said. “Even at McDonnell Douglas, I trained people and wrote an instruction manual for the programmers. I’ve  taught most of my life, and I’ll probably keep on doing it for some time.”   

Photo and Cutline

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