Jacobs urges educators to ‘Be the buffalo’

The annual conference is intended as professional development for area childcare professionals. In his presentation, Dream Big, Live Tall: The Buffalo Mindset for Educators, Jacobs referred to buffalo who stay together in a herd for support and protection and face into storms. He outlined steps based on this example to help childcare providers rediscover their purpose, presence, and courage.

Jacobs grew up on a farm in Wahoo, Nebraska, and later moved to Fremont. He earned a degree in Biology with minors in Earth Science and Art from Wayne State College. He spent a decade in sales and marketing at Pfizer Pharmaceuticals. After leaving corporate life, he embarked on a 22-month journey around the world. He has traveled to and photographed 28 countries, worked with the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, raised funds for notebooks in Rwanda, and works with children at Omaha Nation.

Drawing on time he spent in India learning mental discipline, he walked conference attendees through breathing exercises.

“Every day there will be storms,” he said. “So, we need to show up as our best and get ready to be our best.”

He emphasized that as educators follow breathing practices they can develop relaxed nervous systems making them present and grounded. Jacobs encouraged attendees to set intentions for their work and personal lives, explaining it increases the likelihood of meaningful outcomes.

Halle Kauchich, a junior in the Pre-Physician Assistant track, of Rock Springs, Wyoming, said she realized she can’t let outside factors dictate her 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 reminded attendees to be the buffalo and face into storms which shortens adversity compared to fleeing which lengthens it.

He said the storms educators experience include decision fatigue, emotional labor, staffing shortages, personal struggles, leadership pressure, student behavior challenges, and a feeling of isolation.

Jacobs said navigating through challenges is more feasible when educators better understand the storms and themselves, show up for the children they are responsible for, and have a roadmap for guidance.

“It takes special people to be able to walk into that space,” he 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 emphasized not defining students by their moments of struggle and building trust through consistency, leading to connection.

“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 conference which included a variety of breakout sessions on topics such as team building, communication, brain development, safety, reading, and transitions.