As a young educator , how has Saint David ’ s nurtured your own growth ?
My passion for teaching truly took off from January to June in 2021 . I have come to learn that I truly enjoy helping to shape future leaders … I get a lot of satisfaction when a student tells me that my advice or counsel helped . I love that feeling , and I have learned that I can use my creativity to form lesson plans and maximize my own strengths .
Walk us through a day . What are your objectives as a coach ?
I want you to have fun , I want you to get moving , and most importantly — not get injured . Safety is # 1 in our department , Fun is # 2 and Improving skill-set is # 3 … Within a typical day , I begin with my youngest class ( Omega ), and end with the oldest ( Grade 8 )… I really enjoy seeing different grades interact together , as I can still remember looking up to the grade above me when I was a student . Class mixing is important to the Saint David ’ s experience .
What unites our alums ? What are some of the commonalities that you find are inherent in all Saint David ’ s graduates ?
If you ’ re a Saint David ’ s alum , your loyalty and commitment to who you are and what you do is second to none … there is a unique sense of consistency and continuity — even after you leave , you want to come back and reconnect because it ’ s part of your identity . It means a lot that alums want to come back — and that ’ s common .
What would surprise community members about you ?
My memory is impeccable ! If I see your face and name , I will remember you – it helps with the job ! I ’ m also a pretty funny guy , students can ’ t always see that side because I ’ m serious between the lines .
Where do you see yourself growing ? How does Saint David ’ s specifically tie to that ? I love how much of an impact you can have as a teacher . For example , I think of Mr . Hughes ’ 78 , a fellow alum who has had great crossover in the classroom and in sports .
There are a lot of things Mr . Hughes could do ; but he chose to do this — and he sees the options here for that growth . It ’ s not black and white , it ’ s ubiquitous .
Final word for all of the community members who have enjoyed this exchange .
I want to see more alums my age ( post college graduate ) come back . We lost events during Covid , it ’ s time to come back now ! Classes of 2010-2014 : come back to your roots - it all started here , and it ’ s up to us to continue the legacy ! •
Closing line advice for alums - Be patient but stay persistent .
36 • Saint David ’ s Magazine