Mr. Jon Barger is a new Social Studies teacher at Jesuit for the 2025-26 school year, primarily teaching freshman Geography and Foundations and sophomore World History.
Background
Mr. Barger was born in Alexandria, Virginia. He attended the St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes school, which is a private school close to his hometown. After graduating high school, he committed to the University of Reno in Nevada, where he received his undergraduate bachelor’s degree in history. At Reno, his professors helped him grow a genuine passion for social studies.
“I developed a real appreciation for how the past shapes the world today.” – Mr. Barger
From there, he went on to earn a master’s degree for curriculum instruction at George Mason college in Fairfax, Virginia.
Teaching Life
After receiving his master’s, Mr. Barger went on to teach at Fairfax County, Virginia, before moving to Dallas. In Dallas, he first taught at Richardson Berkner before moving on to teaching at Irving MacArthur for two years and then Woodrow Wilson for seven. Finally, he arrived at Jesuit this year. In total, he has taught social studies for eighteen years, as well as covering every single Social Studies curriculum and course that is offered in high school. Despite this experience, however, he still finds room to grow.
“Every year brings new challenges and growth opportunities.” – Mr. Barger
Throughout his teaching career, Mr. Barger has always found the most value in the development of children. The growth and improvement of his students over time brings him immense satisfaction.
Experience at Jesuit
Mr. Barger chose Jesuit for a few reasons. One reason is that he values private school education. Having experienced an enriching experience at his private high school, he aimed to provide that same experience to students at Jesuit. Additionally, being Roman Catholic, he feels accepted in the Jesuit community. He feels like his mission overlaps with the mission of Jesuit. Finally, Mr. Barger enjoys the smaller class sizes at Jesuit. For him, it allows more interaction with students inside and outside of the classroom, allowing him to spend more time and get to know the students he teaches. He believes that the students at Jesuit are hardworking, and that teaching them is an enjoyable experience.
Beyond teaching, Mr. Barger also coaches wrestling at Jesuit. Having wrestled for most of his life and into college, he approached coaching with the same stance as teaching. He strives to improve students and athletes with the knowledge he gained. He coached at the schools before Jesuit, meeting many athletes that he was able to help improve. Recently, he had a student, Kingston Stephens, reach the state finals in wrestling, who ended as the runner up.
Coach Jon Barger, taken off his Twitter.
Personal Life
At home, Mr. Barger is married with three kids. One is a ten-year-old daughter, another is a nine-year-old son, and his youngest is a one-year-old son. Both him and his wife are Catholic.
“Family is really important to me, and being able to balance work, coaching, and spending time with them is something I try to achieve.” – Mr. Barger
Hobbies
Along with his passion for wrestling, Mr. Barger also enjoys watching his daughter’s volleyball games, travelling and spending time with his family. Occasionally, he is able to visit a historic location that he teaches about in school. For example, after graduation, Mr. Barger was able to visit Rome, an experience he called “incredibly fulfilling.” He was also able to visit France last summer.
Advice
When asked about advice he would give to other teachers, Mr. Barger mentioned a few key tips. Mr. Barger believes that students can feel when a teacher is engaged with the topic. Therefore, he thinks that the passion of the teacher is instrumental for student excitement, and he aims to always bring energy into his classrooms in order to keep his students involved. He also believes that constant improvement as a teacher is important too, and he strives to make sure he improves a little every year. Finally, Mr. Barger emphasizes the need for flexibility.
“Meet students where they are. every class and every student is different, and good teaching means being flexible about what each student needs to grow.” – Mr. Barger
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