Washington, DC National Guard Sergeant Jacob Kohut has pulled double duty in recent days, providing security ahead of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration and teaching elementary and middle school students music via Zoom.
Kohut works as a music teacher for Fairfax County (Virginia) Public Schools, where he teaches at Canterbury Woods Elementary School.
Dr. (Sgt.) Jake Kohut, member of D.C. National Guard and band teacher at Canterbury Woods Elementary School, Fairfax…
Posted by U.S. Army on Saturday, January 16, 2021
Kohut also teaches at Frost Middle School in Fairfax, according to the Washington Post. He has been able to continue teaching virtually because students will not return to Fairfax schools for in-person instruction until February at the earliest. (RELATED: Online Learning Tanked Grades, Learning in VA’s Largest School System, Study Finds)
Principal of Canterbury Woods Elementary School Diane Leipzig told the Washington Post that she offered to find a substitute teacher while Kohut is deployed for the inauguration. However, Kohut declined the offer. “He absolutely loves his students and would do anything for them. He is extremely dedicated,” Leipzig said to the Post.
This is what a hero looks like. A member of the DC National Guard, our band teacher Dr. Jake Kohut has been working around the clock since Wednesday to protect our nation’s capital. And between shifts, he is dedicated to CWES students, teaching from DC. @fcpsnews @FrostsPrincipal pic.twitter.com/nsDRuV08OQ
— CanterburyWoodsES (@Canterbury_Wood) January 13, 2021
Kohut has served in the 257th Army Band for eleven years, according to WUSA 9. It is a group consisting of Army and Air Force National Guardsmen.