Upper School History Teacher Jeff Eckerson joined the Princeton Day School community as a sabbatical replacement teacher for the second semester of the 2024-2025 school year, and will continue in that role this semester. He feels welcomed and appreciated and is glad to be a part of the PDS community.
This year marks Mr. Eckerson’s 30th year working in education. Prior to his arrival at PDS, he worked in the administration, taught U.S. History and Government, and coached the girls’ basketball team at the Pennington School–sometimes even competing against PDS. He reflects, “PDS is an awesome school with a great reputation.” His familiarity with the PDS atmosphere made his decision to join the community an easy one. Mr. Eckerson is teaching U.S. History and World Religions in History this semester.
Mr. Eckerson has a deep love for teaching. He acknowledges his father—referring to him as “a principal who brought me to school as a child”—as his inspiration for teaching. In the classroom, Mr. Eckerson’s teaching style revolves around engagement. He explains, “I encourage students to participate and be as active as possible. I try to model my knowledge to help students see the value of understanding our history.”
That passion for engagement also drives his broader philosophy about education. Mr. Eckerson reflects on the purpose of studying history, recognizing that “out of every six students, five might never take a history class again once they leave high school.” Because of that, he feels “a big responsibility to help students gain awareness of what it means to be a good citizen.”
Beyond the classroom, Mr. Eckerson’s personality shines through his positivity and humor. He describes himself as “positive, large, friendly, and funny,” all of which symbolize his warm and approachable presence in the school. Outside of teaching, he is a devoted Philadelphia Eagles fan who loves caring for his big vegetable garden at home, reading, and watching NCAA college basketball, particularly the Princeton University Basketball team.
Reflecting on his first few weeks at PDS, Mr. Eckerson shared that he has felt glad to be part of the community since his very first day. As the school year begins, he offers a simple piece of advice to everyone: “Be friendly and positive!”
Welcome back, Mr. Eckerson!
