Jack Bland has been teaching for eighteen years. Bland never thought he would have become a teacher. He states, “in college I focused on becoming a photo journalist. After college I worked at a newspaper as a photo journalist and after realizing I needed a change, I decided to become a high school photo teacher.” At that moment Bland was then inspired by a small list of teachers who had helped him from when he was a kid to become a teacher. Bland’s favorite part about teaching is seeing his students create images and showing others they can be creative in different ways. Bland’s favorite lessons to teach are studio assignments in advanced photography but he loves all the classes he teaches. He loves visual communication and teaching other people his passion. If Bland was not a teacher, he would have been either a freelance photo journalist or landscaper. Bland’s goal for his students by the end of the school year is that his students feel like they belong in the learning community. 

Bland adapts his teaching skills for students who have special needs by giving them more time to do assignments, let them submit late work, and have hands-on-tools in his classroom that they could benefit from. Bland’s way to handle classroom discipline is on a  per-case basis. Bland handles conflicts between students in his class by “see[ing] things from their point of view and attempt[ing] to get them to understand my point of view”. Bland’s way of engaging with students who are struggling is using a lot of visuals for his assignments. He handles stress and maintains a work-life balance by not having his work emails on his phone, going on walks, and working out everyday. Some advice from Bland to those who want to become a teacher is to “go into the profession with an open heart,” he adds, “this job is a labor of love”. Bland does not have a favorite memory at this school because there are so many memories that he cannot choose a favorite one.