Excellent Educator: Cottage Grove Park High's Jason Schwartz

OSSEO, Minn. (WCCO) -- This morning, the WCCO Morning Show is honoring another excellent educator in the metro who has gone above and beyond to make a difference in students' lives.

A true excellent educator is passionate about helping their students' successes, no matter what the challenge. This week's honoree pushes his students to do well.

Jason Schwartz is a teacher and a lifer at Park High School in Cottage Grove. He went to school there, and now teaches world history there.

WCCO got wind of this excellent educator from one of his current students -- he is actually our first Excellent Educator honoree to be nominated by a current student. Emma Fern said Schwartz has high expectations of students, and that's a good thing.

"He made me get motivated to get better grades," she said. "He pushes us to do our work -- not just in his class, but in every other class."

Schwartz has been at it for 16 years - 13 of them at Park High. One of his secrets to success is remembering his students have lives outside of the classroom, just like him.

Schwartz admits some days are better than others, but teaching was is dream and he says high school student are the best.

"They're young adults. They know what's going on in the world a little bit. They can relate. They can see that they're almost in an adult life, and that's enjoyable," he said. "And I do I love it every single day I come to work."

You can nominate a deserving educator by going to the WCCO Morning Show's Facebook page, telling us their name and why they should be WCCO's Excellent Educator of the week.