Chris Jones initially started his teaching career by being a substitute teacher. He taught various classes, from woodshop to drafting, from architecture to computer repair. In college, he had earned a degree in biology, which also ignited a strong interest in becoming a teacher, leading him to his current role as a biology teacher at Dos Pueblos High School.
While overseeing the woodshop class, he actively worked with students, marking the beginning of his journey towards a potential career as a teacher.
“I took over for the woodshop teacher,” Jones said. “He got fired because kids were using the equipment with no teacher in the room and so I took over woodshop, drafting, and architecture.”

During his time teaching architecture, he faced an abrupt ending to the class due to low student enrollment in the course.
“I enjoyed doing that a lot, and then there just weren’t enough people that wanted to take architecture,” Jones said. “So that class ended, then it just became a full-time bio.”
Biology became a full-time teaching job for Jones. However, he did not always have a passionate interest in biology. That was until one of his high school teachers persuaded him to put more effort into his education.
“Up until that point, I was a really bad student,” Jones said. “And he expected a lot more from me. And I wound up just trying harder.”
After putting more effort into his education, Jones discovered his aspirations for becoming a doctor. However, after some reconsideration, he determined that becoming a doctor was not for him.
“And I realized that I could do this…and then I wanted to be a doctor, and that required me to do bio, and I enjoyed learning the biology stuff in college,” Jones said. “But I decided I didn’t want to be a doctor. So then it took me a little while to figure out what I was going to do.”
Jones grappled with the issue of what job occupation to pursue until one day when he had a conversation with a former teacher. After some observation, Jones reconsidered his aspirations.
“I was sitting on the beach with an old teacher…and I realized that he was the only adult on the beach because it was midweek and it was summer,” Jones said. “And I realized…that might be kind of cool. Having summers off…so I liked teaching.”
This appreciation for teaching was further cemented by his passion for biology during college and the fact that he only had a few more classes to complete in order to become a teacher.
“I had just had to take like two or three more different classes, and then I could apply to get my teaching credential,” Jones said. “So that’s what I went to do, and I wound up getting into a pre-professional program at UCSB. And then came out and I did pre-professional work here with my old biology teacher.”
Whenever he isn’t teaching, Jones can be found partaking in his hobbies, including inventing miscellaneous devices.
“When COVID hit, I invented a way to blow out candles,” Jones said. “Where the person’s breath spun a little wheel that created wind so that you weren’t blowing your breath onto the candle but you could still blow out the candle.”
Jones continues to engage in as many hobbies and activities as he can while also trying to keep up with teaching. He regularly participates in hobbies such as golf, surfing, volleyball, and diving.
“Every Wednesday I play volleyball with a group of nine other guys, and I’ve been doing that for almost 10 years now,” Jones said. “I like to surf, so whenever the waves are good, I’d like to try to get in the water. I like diving. I like paddleboarding, just kind of paddling long distances.”
He continues to regularly practice his numerous hobbies while also picking up new ones, like golf.
“I used to enjoy making wine but that takes a lot of time,” Jones said. “I’ve just actually picked up golf this summer, so I’m enjoying golf. It still takes a lot of time.”
One of the products of his active participation in hobbies is the HighFive Movement, an online platform that allows students to spread positivity through the website’s features.
Being the inventor of the HighFive Movement, Jones always encourages students across DPHS to be positive. Jones wants to spread a positive message to the community through the HighFive Movement.
“I think you know one of the hardest things to learn is to be positive and to give yourself grace when you’re making errors or when things aren’t working out,” Jones said. “I think…every day working on positivity will help make people’s lives better.”