 "Photo: Steven Wimberley / For The South End")
Being a communications professor was not his first career choice, but Jason Schmitt warmed to the idea after being inspired by a professor he had. He said the class was very engaging and exciting and that encouraged him to join the field.
Schmitt always puts his students first and is willing to go out his way to help. He gives students an encouraging boost with his unique teaching style.
Schmitt was born and raised in Dearborn. His mother was a teacher and his father worked at an industrial tooling company. Schmitt is an only child.
He played the piano and he loved tennis - little did he know that both of his favorite childhood activities would shape his adult life.
Before becoming a teacher he was a professional tennis instructor. Schmitt even used to string the tennis racquets of Anna Kournikova.
"She is really nice and a down-to-earth person," Schmitt said.
After that gig, he got a job at Atlantic Records, where he did promotions working with some big-time artists, including Kid Rock. Schmitt said that due to Internet piracy and the shrinking music industry he decided to go back to school.
Schmitt first attended the University of Michigan Dearborn and received his bachelor's degree. Then he received his master's degree from Eastern Michigan University. He is currently studying at Bowling Green State University, where he expects to earn his Ph.D in April.
Schmitt teaches in a way that is entertaining as well as informative. He makes sure every student has the necessary skills to succeed in his class - how the skills to deliver a good speech and present it in a way that's easy to understand. Although every student becomes better at public speaking, the benefits of this class go beyond the knowledge to deliver a good speech.
The energetic Schmitt is a great teacher and he has the hardware to prove it. He won the Best Grad Student Award at Bowling Green in 2005 as well as the International Communication Associations' Top Teacher award the same year.
"He's the best professor I've ever had," said Hassan Chami, a student in Schmitt's class. "He's different and smart. He makes you feel comfortable giving a speech."
One on the things students like about Schmitt is that he has little ego, which is seen in the way he treats his students. There are a lot of professors who want students to know how many teaching awards they have, or how many degrees they've received. They seem to want respect more than they want to help students. Schmitt is not that teacher.
"I wasn't that great in class, but I really liked school," he said. "I just tried really hard." He said he may not be a whiz in school, but "I can relate to students. I can give them the tips that I used to succeed."
He gives students all the tools necessary to give an exciting and informative speech. Students actually look forward to attending because of fun activities like the question of the day at the beginning of every class. All students answer the question aloud from their seats. Questions range from your favorite car, to celebrities you've met. Answering the questions allows classmates to get to know each other. It also creates a comfort level that helps when it's time to do a formal speech. Schmitt uses personal experiences and stories to make class more enjoyable. By stepping away from the technical side of things and showing students how they actually apply to real life, his impact is much greater.
He lets his class know just how important speech is. Speech is one of the greatest tools we have as human beings. The way that you speak can affect you financially, like in a job interview or it can affect you socially. The way you speak is a representation of your education, as well as your background.
When Schmitt is not inspiring minds in the classroom, he is doing home restorations. He is hands on and actually does the work himself. He said that one of his biggest achievements was a recreation of a Piet Mondrian painting that he displayed in one of the homes. The original painting is worth an astounding $25 million.
Schmitt said, "I spent two weeks straight, working on it every night."
He has single handedly restored several homes, including an abandoned contemporary home in Dearborn.
"I enjoy hard work," he said. "There's a great feeling of accomplishment when you can stand back and say, 'I did that.'"
Schmitt also enjoys nature and the outdoors.
He is a teacher who breaks the stereotype of a stuffy professor. For many students, the college experience would be much better if they had a few more professors like him. From working with music superstars and professional athletes, to working on houses, Schmitt is at his best when he's working to help students succeed.
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