steve jones

Retired Colonel Brings American Government to Life at Seton School

By Pauline Hovey
Special to the HERALD
(From the Issue of 1/4/07)

At the height of an enjoyable 22-year career in the U.S. Air Force, Col. Steven Jones heard a different calling. A father of four, Jones had supported his family and served his country well, traveled extensively, received distinguished awards and served in prestigious positions at the Pentagon and in the White House. But now he was feeling a need to spend more time with his wife, son, and three daughters, and to provide them with a different environment. As his eldest daughter prepared to enter high school, Jones grappled with a strong desire to teach and coach. It was what he called “an interesting decision process,” which led him to accept a position at Seton School in Manassas, but only “after a lot of prayer and reflection.”
When he made the change 12 years ago, Seton School wanted to offer students an American government course. With his experience in Washington, D.C., including his last position as Director of Defense Policy at the National Security Council, Jones knew he could provide real-life examples of American government in action and a behind-the-scenes look at political, military and foreign affairs. He accepted the challenge and has taught the course ever since. In addition, he teaches college preparatory geometry and coaches girls’ softball.
Today, when asked if he correctly discerned his calling, Jones says, “I don’t have to look any farther than my family to determine whether this was the right decision.”
All three daughters graduated from Seton, and Jones was involved not only in their academics, but in coaching their sports teams as well. He admits that initially his daughters “may have been mortified” when they realized their father would be teaching at their school, but, he said, “Overall, it worked out very well. They did great there.”
Jones also has done well in the transition from working with serious-minded government professionals to self-focused teenagers. He notes there have been some obvious differences.
“The stress is not quite the same,” at the high school level as at the Pentagon, he said. “On the other hand, there’s no time designed in the schedule to reflect over a cup of coffee like I had in my previous job. The show must go on whether or not you feel like it.”
There’s another major difference Jones noticed. “In the Air Force, I didn’t have as many problems with people following orders,” he said chuckling. “The fact that I’m a retired colonel doesn’t carry too much weight in high school.”
The real benefit of this job, he said, is that “the students have taught me a lot as well. They help keep me in a young frame of mind, and I hope I can help them in facing some of the challenges they face.”
Jones, who grew up on a farm in Indiana, recognizes and appreciates the similarities between farming and teaching. “A lot of what I see we’re doing here is similar,” he said. “We’re planting the seed.”
And just like a farmer, a teacher doesn’t always see the immediate effect of his patience, nurturing, and teaching of the faith by word and action. “What is most rewarding is to have a student come back after college to say how an insignificant thing I did made a difference in his or her life.”
Another trait of growing up in Indiana was that Jones “lived and breathed basketball,” so it seemed natural that he would coach basketball at Seton. During his four years of coaching, he took the junior varsity team to the Delaney Conference regular season and tournament championships every year.
Then when one of his daughters took up softball, he switched to coaching that sport. “It’s a good way to spend time together,” he said.
One bonus to his job is that Jones gets to spend additional time with his wife, Carol Rose McGann, since she teaches part-time at Seton. His daughters may see that as a disadvantage; one of them received two demerits during her years at Seton: one from her father, and one from her mother.