Hard Work Works: Eisele loves a challenge

McIntosh High social studies teacher and longtime basketball coach Jason Eisele loves the challenge of inspiring students.

Eisele is a lifelong product of Peachtree City, born here and stayed as an educator and leader. For the last 25 years he’s been at his alma mater, McIntosh High, as a social studies teacher. He just retired from coaching after this season following two-decades plus with the boys basketball team.

Eisele had a thirst for knowledge from a very young age, but he thinks his course in education was likely set at McIntosh when he was inspired by his own teachers.

“I looked at what they did all day, and I could see myself doing that. That looks like fun,” he thought. 

He was always drawn to playing sports. He started playing basketball around 8 years old and he kept dribbling through four years at McIntosh. He loved playing, but he didn’t have plans to get into coaching. That changed during his student-teaching tenure at a middle school. The new head coach needed help with the finer points of the game and turned to Eisele because of his playing experience. He drew up plays and helped craft gameplays, and he knew he was at home coaching.

“Once I got a taste of it, I knew this was going to be fun,” he remembered. “That’s when I first fell in love.”

His love for the game has layers. He loves the chess match with an opposing coach, and he loves the push to get a player to put aside their personal agenda and understand it’s all about the squad.

“You’re not just building a basketball team, you’re building young men and getting them to understand the value of sacrifice and resilience and learning to deal with failure and learning to deal with victory.”

He was drawn to teach social studies because it encompasses so many disciplines. He teaches economics but on the same school hall there are classes like history, geography, and political science. The teachers are imparting lessons that students will carry with them the rest of their lives.

“We’re trying to educate the next generation of Americans,” he said. “I have a deep seated belief in the value of having an educated citizenry. What we do is not just a good thing but necessary to build good citizens. I take that very seriously.”

He doesn’t shy away from a heavy workload.

“One thing I love about coaching and teaching is it’s a challenge. Every day is a challenge,” he said. “You’ve got to figure out a way to inspire them, to help them understand it and do well.”

The real victories don’t come on the scoreboard, it’s in the daily interactions and the former students who reach out years later.

“It’s knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that you made an impact on somebody.”

“The Honor Role,” an official podcast for Fayette County Public Schools, features employees, rotating through key stakeholders, including teachers, staff, nurses, custodians, cafeteria workers, and bus drivers. Join us as we dive in and learn about their journeys, their inspirations, and their whys.

Episodes are available on all major podcast platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and promoted on the social media channels of Fayette County Public Schools.

Episodes will also be available here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2200811.