Mr. Tutson – iJAG

James Tutson has worked in social services for a long time. He has run a college prep course, a special education classroom at Southeast Jr. High, and various student groups. However this year he is excited to start his first year of teaching IJAG (Iowa jobs for America’s graduates) at the school that leads.

“What I really like about it is it’s a diverse group of kids,” Tutson said. “One of the big things we try to do is have a very diverse community and focus on tight knit relationships.”

The goal of IJAG may sometimes be unclear. But according to Tutson, it has many applications beyond high school.  

“IJAG is a program to prepare students for whatever’s after high school,” Tutson said.  “Some students are preparing for college so we’re going to help them with the ACT and help with the application process. IJAGs big focus is jobs. A lot of what I do is help students learn how to get jobs so they can get money. If if they aren’t going to college they will still know how to put together a resume and cover letter. We also help students that want to go the military get there by working with recruiters.”

Mr. Tutson also loves music, and his style is a combination of gospel and soul. He has many albums such as Red Hot Riot and On Me. In addition to doing music outside of school he also works at a summer program called Young Life. Young Life focuses on loving the kids of Jesus no matter who they are or what their story is.

Tutson also seems to be well respected by his students, Deangelo McNeal, one of Tutson’s students, commented about his first impressions of Mr. Tutson. “He is a good guy. He is energetic, he jokes around, and he knows how to relate to people. He is a laid back person, he isn’t a strict or angry person,” McNeal said. “Things I learn in IJAG are very applicable, we learn about job preparation which I think is important as we are juniors and seniors.”