Staying Engaged: History with Hubble

By: William Ford

You walk into Mr. Hubble’s class, and you immediately notice one thing: everyone is engaged.  Students are always active, listening, and taking away valuable aspects from the lessons being taught. Jenks history teacher Corey Hubble, of course, is only one of many examples of the different ways teachers are keeping Jenks students invested.  Here at Jenks, involvement is what we strive to offer everyone, through extra curricular and scholarly opportunity.

Before he had a teaching career, he was a part time substitute frequently searching for opportunity. Though Hubble could not be knowledgeable about every subject, he continued to try his best to work with students, building the foundation of his name and reputation at Jenks.

Hubble provides meaningful insight to his thought process behind teaching.

“It’s about combining the rigor of the course with fun,” Hubble remarked. “I want the students to have a good time, but I want to have a good time, too.”

Hubble reveals to his students he is now playing as the Persian Empire in an “Early Ages RPG.”

On top of this, students generally feel more committed to the class through activities and interaction.  

“They will be far more likely to learn,” says Hubble. 

 Students will want to listen, and most importantly, they will gain something.

“The less involved the student is,” he shared, “the less committed they will be.”

By playing a role in the class, students will be more likely to succeed, taking away not only the basic knowledge of the curriculum, but also advanced fundamental, social and critical thinking skills. These skills will carry a student farther than the basic information needed to simply pass a class with an A or a B. 

Students are not only responding to his teaching skills but have even gone as far as creating fan pages, such as “History with Hubble” on Instagram.

"His class is just… so much fun," said the anonymous page owner. 

The kind of environment created in a classroom has an immense effect on retention.  Hubble, though he is equipped with standard teacher's equipment, loves to make and bring props, posters, and other visual aspects of learning to the scene each day.  This kind of commitment provides a unique experience that will keep students active.

Hubble prepares for war with his students during their middle-ages empire RPG. (credit: @hubblehistory on Instagram)

“You can tell how passionate he is about teaching,” the page owner adds, “his class made me genuinely want to do work, and to participate in group projects.  I can work hard, laugh and enjoy myself at the same time.”

In conclusion, being interactive, meaningful, and putting effort into your lessons will ultimately cause students to look forward to and try harder in lessons, furthering academic participation and development. At JHS, it is not only up to the student, but also the teacher, to determine what is to be gained from a class, so let’s give it our all.

If you'd like to see more photos and clips of Hubble, check out History with Hubble on Instagram!