Written by Brett Comstock
Congratulations to Mr. Jordan Boyer for being named the 2024 teacher of the year! Jordan has been at Central for fifteen years and currently teaches American Government, AP U.S. Government, and AP Comparative Government. While he started out teaching at Nathan Hale Middle School, he said he jumped at the chance to work at Central when given the opportunity.
Jordan has wanted to be a teacher since junior high and credited his social studies teacher as his biggest inspiration. This teacher “made the class fun and was always doing stuff to keep the class’s attention, had a great sense of humor, and was also able to teach you about history along the way.” This style of teaching is what Jordan tries to mold himself after. He said this helps him to remind himself why he teaches and “not to take things too seriously…the content just follows along.”
Jordan said that his goal when he’s teaching has changed a lot since he first started. He recalled, “When you first start teaching, it’s all about survival and just getting to the next day.” Now that he’s a more experienced teacher, he said, “With the government-based content that I’m lucky enough to be able to teach, I feel my goal is always to remind the students how important that is to their lives.” He wants his students to know how they can have a role in our government, and how it only works if people participate. Jordan encourages them to get involved in any way they can, including voting and contacting city council members because, he said, “I don’t think the average person really understands how much power they actually do have as a citizen.” Through his years of teaching, his focus has become “to get them to understand how important it is for them to actually get involved and participate; not just react but get out there and make a difference.”
Jordan takes a lot of pride in being a member of the Central community and takes every opportunity to show it, especially by wearing his Central gear around town. He appreciates that “people understand that Central is a respected high school and college preparatory institution.” Within Central, though, his favorite part of the community is his fellow staff. While he said he loves the kids who come through Central, what he especially appreciates is how loyal and tight knit the staff are. “That’s the kind of community that I really enjoy; knowing that when I go to school, I teach with the same people that I hang out with after school or at football games.”
Another aspect of the community that Jordan takes pride in is Central’s diversity. He said, “I tell my students at Central all the time that there is something to say about the experience that you get from being around diversity, being around people with different backgrounds, different religions, different ways of thinking or doing things.” He said that teachers from other districts have pointed out how challenging it must be to meet so many students where they are when they’re from so many different backgrounds, but he “personally wouldn’t pick anything else.” He appreciates how his students, from their variety of backgrounds, enrich his classes and make them more interesting. He said, “when you start to have a discussion and kids start to bring in their own background and history and experiences and things like that, that’s what really makes the lesson memorable.”
Jordan loves teaching his students about all aspects of American government, but there is one topic in particular that he’s most passionate about: the Electoral College. This is something he claimed he could talk about for hours on end. He said he enjoys teaching about it so much because “it’s almost a wizard behind the curtain effect” because most people have heard of it, but few understand how it really works. He said that this topic really gets kids asking questions, and it sparks interesting discussion – especially because Nebraska is one of two states that is able to split its electoral votes. This is important, he says, because it means more people feel their vote matters and that other states should follow suit. He said that he jokes with his students by challenging them to push for this to change if they ever move out of state.
As far as his long-term goals as a teacher go, he said he is working with fellow social studies teachers Jimmie Foster, Andrew Ruchti, and Casey Denton to create a political science pathway for students. He said either this year or next year, there will be senior-level classes within the new pathway, which he is excited about. Jordan is content teaching at this level at Central and said he doesn’t plan on trying to move up the administrative ladder or to another school for a leadership position. He said, “I kind of see myself just teaching as long as I still enjoy it. And when that’s done, then I retire and just kind of sail into the sunset.”
Outside of school, Jordan fills his time with several activities spent with friends and loved ones. He said his favorite time of year is Husker football season, and he loves going to games with his wife and two kids. He also looks forward to taking his bike trip every summer with friends, many of whom are current or former teachers at Central. Jordan said he also likes to do work around the house; he takes pride in doing home improvements and making his yard look nice. Overall, though, he said, “football, family, and friends: that’s how I like to spend my downtime.”
On receiving this award, Jordan said he was not expecting it until he got an email from the Executive Director of the Central High Foundation, Michele Roberts, asking him to make sure he attended the ceremony, which he said was a big hint. He said that it’s very difficult for him to accept praise, but he appreciates everyone’s kind words and the effort that went into nominating him. Jordan said that, as a teacher, he doesn’t expect anything beyond “the notes and cards that kids give you at Christmas or the end of the year, which mean a lot. Every teacher has a little keepsake box that they keep those things in to read when they’re having a rough day, or rough month, or rough year. And those are the things that you kind of bank on, so this was extra special for sure.”
As some final thoughts, Jordan says, “I want to thank the Foundation for everything that they do for Central, and have done for me, and supporting Central financially and otherwise.” He also wanted to emphasize the importance of supporting public schools and teachers in whatever ways possible. He noted that standardized test scores aren’t everything because every kid is different and learns differently, and, he said, “I just hope that people see how hard teachers work and how much we care, and that they keep supporting us, and we’ll keep doing our best to help the kids reach the goals that they want to achieve.”
Congratulations, Jordan, and thank you for all that you do for our community!
