What courses are you currently teaching?
This semester I am teaching Biomechanics for Individuals with Disabilities, Assessment Strategies in Physical Education, and Strategies for Teaching Physical Activity. While at Slippery Rock I have taught about 14 different courses.
What are you most proud of concerning those courses?
I think I am most proud of my diverse background which has enabled me to teach a wide variety of courses. I also enjoy bringing realistic scenarios into the classroom based on my previous work experience. This includes my experience as a public school teacher, working in the fitness industry, coaching, and some of the great people I have worked with at when teaching at other institutions such as PITT and Penn State.
What scholarly/projects are you working on in your classes?
The Physical and Health Education Department is in the process of modifying our program and working with several public schools to bring a Comprehensive School Health and Wellness approach into school physical and health education programs.
What student stories can you share?
Having taught individuals ranging from preschool up through graduate school, there are many stories, but two come to mind. One is from when I taught middle school and one is from college. When teaching middle school I had a student in 8thgrade student who did not have the greatest athletic ability and he had no desire to be involved in physical education. Throughout the year I worked with him explaining I did not care if he was good at sports, I wanted him to have the tools he needed to be a healthy adult. Throughout the year he became more engaged and I did not think much of it. It was nearly a year later that I received a letter from his mother thanking me, explaining how he realized now that physical activity is something he can be involved in while in the past he had always dreaded physical and health education.
The second story is a college story. One afternoon I was sitting working in my office when I noticed a student walk past several times. After the 4thor 5th pass I asked the student if I could help them with anything. The student said they were looking for a professor who was doing a review session, but that the student could not find the room. Of course I asked the student what room they were looking for. The student responded that the teacher had not given a room number, he had just said that he would conduct the exam review in the ‘chat room’ but the student could not find the ‘chat room’ anywhere in the building (I helped the student find a computer and log onto the chat room.).
What do you do for fun during your free time or school break?
I enjoy outdoor activities including hiking, hunting, and fishing. However I also continue to serve with the United States Army Reserve which seems to eat up a lot of my weekends, free time and breaks for required training. In fact was away from the University for an entire year for a combat deployment in 2012-2013.
What most do you appreciate about SRU?
The people, professionalism, and the commitment to pedagogy and wellness.
What made you want to be a faculty member at the college level?
I had never planned to teach, I was going to be a coach. I worked in the fitness industry for a while and through some odd twists of fate while preparing to get a master’s degree I completed my teaching certification. Then I went to Western Kentucky University to be a football graduate assistant with coach Harbaugh when more odd twists of fate resulted in my being an academic graduate assistant instead. Returning to Pennsylvania I was a Physical and Health Education teacher for many years where I also got back into coaching. At the same time while working in camps and programs I was able to begin work on my Ph.D. and began to realize that I had been teaching all along. When the opportunity arose for me to move to the University level, I embraced it.
If you could have one super power what would it be? Why?
I kind of like Captain America, some of that is due to the patriotic nature of his character, but largely it is because he does not truly have a super power. He is not invisible with x-ray eyes and able to fly into outer space. His character is based largely on working hard and the good that can come from doing the right thing even in the face of adversity.
