A bit about me
Hello and welcome to my blog! I am Victor Kass, 32 years young, and I teach at a high school in Brampton, which is a city just outside Toronto, Canada. I am also a happily married husband and father to a 2-year old son and a soon to be born second child. This past June, I completed my 8th year working in education. During these years, I have been a school swim instructor, taught intermediate science, senior biology, student success, and am very happy to now be a full fledged Physical Education teacher. Teaching in this subject area had been a goal of mine since the day I decided to embark on a career path in this field and I am privileged to be making a living doing something I truly enjoy.
What got me into teaching?
Growing up, I was always busy with sports. In fact, I spent most of my time outside of school involved in various physical activities, namely competitive swimming, soccer, and baseball. This kept me out of trouble, in decent shape, and focused in class. As I progressed through high school at Newtonbrook Secondary (home of the North Stars), I began to understand that sport was a hugely defining part of my identity. So, it only made sense that I would pursue Physical and Health Education (BPHE) in postsecondary. During high school and university, I worked part-time as a lifeguard and swim instructor. My experiences teaching kids to love and be safe in the water, as well as volunteer teaching back at Newtonbrook provided me with solid affirmation that a career helping kids learn to be active, healthy, and happy would be amazing! After a year off school between my undegrad and teacher's college, I applied and was accepted to the Faculty of Education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) where I graduated in 2006.
My Journey So Far: "A twisty, turning path becomes a road to enlightenment"
Obtaining that first Phys-Ed teaching job has been described to me by one former pre-service teacher as the "quest for the holy grail". One principal even told me at an interview that teachers with my qualifications (science and PE) were a "dime a dozen". But, I am one of the lucky ones who can say I made it. The journey into my career began in Toronto (TDSB) where I taught mostly science at two different high schools. Then, at the tail end of my second year, I applied for a job that was half PE and half science at a school in a neighbouring school board (Peel). Amazingly, I was able to jump right into a permanent teaching position in at a school in Mississauga. After spending two years there, I was faced with an inevitable surplus situation (due to declining student enrolment), so it was time to move on. Turns out, this led to an amazing opportunity when I ended up being hired to teach a full section of Phys-Ed and open a brand new high school in Brampton. After working at 3 different schools in 4 years, I felt like I had finally found a home!
My 3 years in Brampton have been a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. There have been numerous challenges associated with starting a PE department from scratch. But, at the same time, so many amazing moments. I can proudly say that the school is really starting to come into its own and I am happy to be working there. I am also lucky to be working with a bunch of exceptional department colleagues. We are innovative, always striving to improve our practice, have great cohesion, each bring our own unique skills to the table, and are fun group to hang out with. Other high school teachers probably know how challenging it can be to keep students in Physical Education after grade 9. But, we can proudly say that our retention rates have gone up every single year since we opened our doors.
When I scored my first teaching job in 2006, iPad technology did not exist and the use of social media was taboo in education. But, things changed very quickly in the past 7 years. As a result, I feel like I became an "old school" teacher much faster than those who started many years before. Yet, I am someone who desires to improve and be better at my vocation each and every year. So, I have always had a great deal of desire to modify and enhance my teaching strategies, but didn't always know where to start. However, I finally found a beginning when I joined twitter a couple of months ago. I finally became "enlightened".
My 3 years in Brampton have been a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. There have been numerous challenges associated with starting a PE department from scratch. But, at the same time, so many amazing moments. I can proudly say that the school is really starting to come into its own and I am happy to be working there. I am also lucky to be working with a bunch of exceptional department colleagues. We are innovative, always striving to improve our practice, have great cohesion, each bring our own unique skills to the table, and are fun group to hang out with. Other high school teachers probably know how challenging it can be to keep students in Physical Education after grade 9. But, we can proudly say that our retention rates have gone up every single year since we opened our doors.
When I scored my first teaching job in 2006, iPad technology did not exist and the use of social media was taboo in education. But, things changed very quickly in the past 7 years. As a result, I feel like I became an "old school" teacher much faster than those who started many years before. Yet, I am someone who desires to improve and be better at my vocation each and every year. So, I have always had a great deal of desire to modify and enhance my teaching strategies, but didn't always know where to start. However, I finally found a beginning when I joined twitter a couple of months ago. I finally became "enlightened".
A Technological Shift in My Way of Thinking
My school's opening year was in 2010-2011 and our leadership team made a huge investment in technology including a class set of the original iPad 1's. At the time, I just could not understand how these devices could be of any use in Physical Education. After all, how could an iPad do a better job at getting kids fit than running around? In fact, I felt the sedentary nature of using the devices was counterproductive. Little did I know, I was asking the wrong questions.
During this past school year, my feelings began to change when a couple of my colleagues conducted an action research project in their fitness classes. Specifically, they examined whether or not the Coaches' Eye video application could help students better learn proper weight lifting technique. Seeing the results and simply being able to observe the progress of the project was enough to shift my way of thinking about tech in the gym.
During this past school year, my feelings began to change when a couple of my colleagues conducted an action research project in their fitness classes. Specifically, they examined whether or not the Coaches' Eye video application could help students better learn proper weight lifting technique. Seeing the results and simply being able to observe the progress of the project was enough to shift my way of thinking about tech in the gym.
2013: A summer of professional development
Just a little over a month ago, I began to discover the wealth of information and networking opportunities to be had on Twitter. Next thing I knew, I was and still am checking my twitter app on my iPhone every chance I get. I began reading articles, discovered numerous teaching resources, began listening to the #physed podcast, and even started sharing ideas with others (i.e. #pechat). The best part about all of this is that I am learning things that I can actually use. In other words, I am actually taking part in professional development I enjoy and I'm doing it every single day!
I'll be honest. After opening the new school, there have been times when I began to wonder if I had really chosen the right career. During the same period, my wife and I started our family, which was amazing, but also a huge life change. It's been very exhausting and on many days it was hard to get myself energized for work. However, I am actually feeling rejuvinated, full of ideas, and rearing to try all kinds of new things as I move towards a new school year!
I'll be honest. After opening the new school, there have been times when I began to wonder if I had really chosen the right career. During the same period, my wife and I started our family, which was amazing, but also a huge life change. It's been very exhausting and on many days it was hard to get myself energized for work. However, I am actually feeling rejuvinated, full of ideas, and rearing to try all kinds of new things as I move towards a new school year!
Teaching goals for 2013-2014
My courses for this fall include grade 9 and 12 boys Physical Education, which I have both taught previously. I am also teaching, for the first time, a course outside PE called Careers. With that said, my overall goal is to better engage my students and thereby enhance their learning experiences. The specific ways in which I hope to do this are outlined below.
Grade 9 Boys Phys-Ed Goals:
1) Use a "buddy system" for attendance (thank you for this idea, Dr. Stanec! @MoveLiveLearn on twitter) instead of old school squads.
2) Change the structure of my lessons to involve a more student-centered approach "making it less about me and more about them".
3) Revamp the fitness testing to involve skill-related tests (i.e. agility) in addition to preexisting health-related components and to remove rating scales so that the focus is solely on personal improvement.
Grade 12 Boys Phys-Ed Goals:
1) Continue to develop the "sport education" model and incorporate tech to address specific teaching problems.
2) Address student attendance issues through specific interventions that intertwine with the sport education program.
3) Modify the unit structures to allow for more frequent and purposeful ways for students to engage in leadership opportunities.
Ways to use my iPad mini:
1) Taking student attendance
2) Capturing & documenting student learning (pictures, videos, google forms, etc.)
3) Inputing and analyzing assessments
4) Group management using apps like Fixture Maker or My Groups
5) Stat tracking in grade 12 sport education class using Numbers app
6) Use the Numbers app for lesson planning
Grade 9 Boys Phys-Ed Goals:
1) Use a "buddy system" for attendance (thank you for this idea, Dr. Stanec! @MoveLiveLearn on twitter) instead of old school squads.
2) Change the structure of my lessons to involve a more student-centered approach "making it less about me and more about them".
3) Revamp the fitness testing to involve skill-related tests (i.e. agility) in addition to preexisting health-related components and to remove rating scales so that the focus is solely on personal improvement.
Grade 12 Boys Phys-Ed Goals:
1) Continue to develop the "sport education" model and incorporate tech to address specific teaching problems.
2) Address student attendance issues through specific interventions that intertwine with the sport education program.
3) Modify the unit structures to allow for more frequent and purposeful ways for students to engage in leadership opportunities.
Ways to use my iPad mini:
1) Taking student attendance
2) Capturing & documenting student learning (pictures, videos, google forms, etc.)
3) Inputing and analyzing assessments
4) Group management using apps like Fixture Maker or My Groups
5) Stat tracking in grade 12 sport education class using Numbers app
6) Use the Numbers app for lesson planning
The Time Crunch. It's inevitable.
As excited as I am to begin modernizing the way I teach, I am also feeling the stress of what will be an inevitable "time crunch". With a new baby about to arrive, a very busy 2 year old, and all the daily responsibilities of co-running a household, free time has become my "holy grail". In fact, any prep work (or blogging) I manage to do can only be done when my son is alseep. I am sure all parents out there can relate to this. The end result is that I am having a difficult time finding a good balance. But, I am motivated by some of the other parent-educators I am following on twitter who are doing so many amazing things with the time they have. I am open to advice that any of these people have to offer.
Why blog? What do I hope to get out of it?
When I read other teachers' blog posts on websites, such as The Physical Educator, iPhysed, and PEPLC, I realized how much there is to learn not only by reading about the experiences and ideas of others in my profession, but also through the process of creating my own. In other words, this is a wonderful way for me to reflect, share ideas with others, and augment my professional development. Therefore, it is my goal to keep this blog updated monthly as I move through what will be a challenging and exciting school year. I am also hopeful that others will take the time to read my blog and share their thoughts with me. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog!
- Coach Kass
- Coach Kass