At a recent professional development conference for childcare professionals, Jacobs delivered a presentation titled “Dream Big, Live Tall: The Buffalo Mindset for Educators.” He used the example of buffalo facing storms together as a metaphor for educators supporting each other and confronting challenges directly.
Jacobs, who grew up on a farm in Wahoo, Nebraska and later moved to Fremont, has a degree in Biology with minors in Earth Science and Art from Wayne State College. His career includes ten years in sales and marketing at Pfizer Pharmaceuticals. After leaving corporate life, he traveled around the world for 22 months, visiting 28 countries. During his travels, he worked with organizations such as the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund and raised funds for educational materials in Rwanda. He also works with children at Omaha Nation.
During his session, Jacobs guided attendees through breathing exercises he learned while studying mental discipline in India. He emphasized the importance of these practices for educators to remain present and grounded.
“Every day there will be storms,” Jacobs said. “So, we need to show up as our best and get ready to be our best.”
He told attendees that developing relaxed nervous systems through breathing practices helps them be more present. Jacobs encouraged setting intentions both professionally and personally to improve outcomes.
Halle Kauchich, a junior on the Pre-Physician Assistant track from Rock Springs, Wyoming, reflected on Jacobs’ message about managing stress.
“The best thing I learned was when he said, ‘control the things you can control in your space’,” she said. “This really stood out to me, because as a CSC student, I tend to try to control things in my education that are outside of my space.”
Jacobs urged educators not to avoid adversity but rather face it directly.
He described common challenges faced by educators such as decision fatigue, emotional labor, staffing shortages, personal struggles, leadership pressure, student behavior issues, and isolation. He explained that understanding these challenges helps educators better support children and manage their responsibilities.
“It takes special people to be able to walk into that space,” Jacobs said. “We have storms of busy classrooms or busy spaces with lots of little energy going on, so we have to learn how to manage them, they are a call for leadership.”
Jacobs advised against defining students by their difficult moments and stressed building trust through consistent actions.
“You hold a vision for children long before they can hold one for themselves,” he said. “Dreams mean you refuse to shrink a child to their worst day. Then they can dream big, live tall, and make the world better. Be curious about their actions, then you can discover more about their motivations and create a safe space to help the littles navigate their storms. When a child feels seen for who they can become, they start behaving in alignment with their identity. They can change the world.”
Nearly 80 regional childcare professionals and students attended the event which featured breakout sessions covering team building, communication strategies, brain development topics including safety measures during reading sessions and transitions.
