HoC: Robert Ian Jones
Humans of Chaffey
Professor Jones speaking to a student of his. Photo by Giselle Martinez.
Robert Ian Jones had no plans for his future until he decided to attend college at 25 and discovered he had a passion for English. Jones was born in a small, Canadian town, a shy and self-conscious kid who did poorly in school. After barely passing high school, Jones went straight to work instead of continuing with his education. He worked in construction, landscaping and any other jobs he could find. At age 22, Jones decided impulsively to travel to Australia and resided there for a year. It was there Jones met many new people, which helped break him out of his shell.
When he first arrived in Australia, Jones decided that he would stay in hostels.
“When you’re young you don’t care, and you just want a place to sleep. When you get up there is a common area, and everybody hangs out and you party and do whatever, so a hostel is great when you are that young,” Jones said.
If Jones could not afford to stay in the hostels, he would camp out on the beach instead. While camping on the beach one day, Jones had an encounter with a kangaroo:
“We had our food on the picnic table, and a kangaroo came up and stole our coconut, so I chased after it. I just chased him and he, the kangaroo, dropped it and ran away.”
Jones experienced a new way of life in Australia and learned new things that shaped him into the person he is today.
After traveling and working for so long, Jones had finally returned to school at the age of 25. He attended a community college in Canada where he discovered his growing passion for English. Soon after, this passion led him to discovering his career teaching the subject. Jones was incredibly dedicated to school, contrasting with the teenager who barley made it through and graduated high school.
While working to obtain his Ph.D., Jones decided to take a break and went to work on a small cruise ship as a librarian. While on the cruise ship, he met a coworker, Kaitlyn DeWaard, who would later become his wife. This marriage led Jones to move to the Inland Empire to be with Kaitlyn. They both thought Los Angeles would be able to give him more opportunities to accomplish his goal of teaching English at community college.
Jones began his career by teaching different classes at various community colleges in Canada and Los Angeles until he finally settled down at Chaffey College. When he discovered Chaffey College, Jones decided Chaffey was where he wanted to become a full-time professor, and he has enjoyed teaching here for three years.
"I also really liked Chaffey because I feel like they are very student-centric. I really like all the support services and everybody very devoted to students here, something I didn't see at every college I taught at. Chaffey just really stood out, as everybody was focused on the same goal."