Mr. Jerry Jensen is the awesome Family and Consumer Science (FACS) teacher. His foods classes are located in room 101 and are constantly sending pleasant aromas into the hallway.
This is his 16th year teaching and (all but one of them has been in the Cambridge-Isanti school district). Before teaching he earned a culinary degree from Hennepin Tech. After switching from teaching elementary school, he had to attend classes to be a licensed FACS teacher. Although he is working to become a fully licensed FACS teacher, at this point he won’t teach sewing but he would be willing if asked.
“The limited amount of time we have to make the food is the hardest thing about teaching a foods class,” Jensen said, adding he doesn’t have a favorite thing to cook and he considers himself to be a seasonal cook, so he cooks things that tend to fit the season.
Is there a difference between teaching high school and elementary school? “The biggest difference is that the issues that we are dealing with are far more complex at the high school. Since we are getting ready for the outside world and facing the real-world problems, so there is a lot more pressure on us.”
Many probably don’t know that Mr. Jensen used to coach Football. He misses the fun involved in coaching, but many don’t realize there is a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes. He says that the big part of coaching or anything in life is how organized you are or how flexible you can be. He also says that cooking and coaching can go hand and hand by being very thorough.
What does he like about CIHS students? “I like the students and the staff,” he answered. “We are great and fun to work with.”