Kicking off the new series of A day in the life articles, we step into the shoes of a beloved sophomore history teacher at Encinal, Jarred Fobian! When one is in his class, they can frequently hear Fobian talking about his house in Hawaii, or about his children and wife, and even his swim workouts, which can make someone wonder: What is Fobian like? What does he do every day? In this article we are diving deeper into his world and his everyday life.
Many students at Encinal wake up with the sun around 7:30 a.m., and some even start their day with a cup of coffee, the sleep leaving their eyes as they continue to wake up and prepare for the long school day ahead. For Fobian however, his day begins at 4:45 a.m., before the sun even touches the horizon.
“Most people [don’t like] waking up early, but I don’t mind waking up early, it’s part of my routine,” Fobian said. “I get up at 4:45 a.m. so I can get out of the house by 5:10 a.m. to go swim at Encinal. I swim in the morning [with] Alameda Masters for about an hour.”
For Fobian, waking up early to swim has become so regular to him that it feels natural, and he does it without the help of deliciously caffeinated coffee.
“I don’t drink coffee. I don’t drink alcohol. I don’t do any energy drinks,” Fobian said, adding that it might surprise people. “Part of it is growing up religious, but the other part is, it’s just not something I am interested in…it’s just a preference.”
After his swim workout, Fobian drives home and cooks breakfast and lunch for his family, which he greatly enjoys doing. One breakfast Fobian recalls cooking recently is breakfast burritos with bacon and eggs. This is all before most students have even woken up.
Then he is back in the car and off to school, usually arriving at Encinal around 7:45 a.m. Time to crank the tunes. Every morning, Fobian plays a different playlist on Spotify for both his enjoyment and his student’s. He tries not to play the same playlist twice in a row, but the album is usually chosen at random. Although, one playlist that students notice is played slightly more than the others, is his reggae-esque summer mix! Now that the music is playing loudly and he is settled in, he has a little less than an hour to catch up on grading, make some copies, and look over lessons.
During the school day, Fobian first teaches his AP world history class at 8:30 a.m., then all of his modern world history classes. He has taught sophomores almost his whole teaching career, save for a couple years with juniors, and wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Even though I’ve been stuck with the 10th grade my whole career, I don’t feel stuck,” Fobian said. “Something about the 15-16-year-old age group, you just get along really well [with them]. I’ve taught juniors, and they are more frustrating. They think they know everything.”
When asked what keeps him coming back each day to teach, despite the lack of free time and the amount of energy it takes, his answer was simple and wholesome.
“The interactions with the kids,” he said. “I’m not a very outgoing person… But in the classroom I feel comfortable.”
The love and care Fobian feels for his students doesn’t go unnoticed. He always takes the time to speak with his students about the little things, to check in on them and have fun, even during school.
“I love Fobian,” said sophomore Angelica Moore. “He’s so funny.”
When asked what his favorite part of the day was, though he could’ve chosen the time he spent out of school, Fobian decided it was the time he spent interacting with his students.
“[My favorite part is] when it’s the middle of the class when we’ve already got some instruction and I get to go move around and just mingle with the kids and chat, see how they’re doing.”
During lunch, Fobian invites his students to come eat and chill in his classroom, and that invitation is never declined. Fobian’s room is always jam-packed with students chatting with their friends and hanging out.
“I just play music and eat lunch while all the kids are just partying in my classroom,” said Fobian.
Fobian leaves school for the day around 4 p.m. He drives home and checks on his kids, one of which is a junior at Alameda High and the other of which is in 7th grade at Lincoln Middle School. He cooks dinner for his family, which he enjoys if he has a meal planned, and then his kids go to their respective sports (soccer and Alameda Gators swim team). Aside from mingling with his students at school, another part of the day Fobian loves is the small amount of down time he sometimes has when at home.
“When I get home and everyone’s fed… getting to sit back and not do anything for a few minutes… it’s very rare with my profession,” Fobian said. “When you’re an adult, you have to deal with a lot of things you don’t have to deal with as a kid.” Especially with Fobian’s profession, down time is rare and his days are tiring, but in the end he says it is all worth it.
