He is a long-time physical education teacher who has put the fun in fitness and inspired students along the way.
On this episode of the Supercast, we head to the gymnasium at Copper Mountain Middle School. There, we discover why PE teacher Patrick Keating and specialist Tricia Rojas are passionate about finding interesting ways to keep kids active and why it is so important, especially in middle school.
Audio Transcription
[Music]Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. He is a long-time physical education teacher who has been making fitness fun and inspiring students for many years.
On this episode of the Supercast, we head to the gym at Copper Mountain Middle School. There we find out why PE teacher Patrick Keating and specialist Tricia Rojas are passionate about finding interesting ways to keep kids active and why it is so important, especially in middle school.
[Music]We're here at Copper Mountain Middle School to talk about physical education with Pat Keating and Tricia Rojas. I'll give you just a moment to introduce yourselves.
Pat Keating:
I'm Pat Keating and I've been at Copper Mountain Middle for, this is my 11th year. Total years of teaching this is the 33rd year for me.
Tricia Rojas:
Hi, I'm Tricia Rojas. I'm the Health and PE specialist for Jordan School District. I support all of our Health and PE teachers as they support our students. I've been in this district for five years now, started out my teaching career in Texas, and really happy to be here. Thank you.
Anthony Godfrey:
You spent time in the military as well.
Tricia Rojas:
That's true.
Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about all the things you've done that have led you to this point.
Tricia Rojas:
Well, so I did. I went right in the military when I graduated high school and worked on weapon systems. In the military, you get a side duty or a collateral duty in addition to your normal job. Mine was to facilitate the fitness test that all military personnel are supposed to do every six months. I would hold that and then anyone who didn't pass, I would train them for the next six months and get them into shape, get them ready. I ended up loving that job more than my main job that I was there to do. That's where I started, I got my interest in fitness and health.
After the military, I went into the fitness industry where I became a personal trainer, got my kinesiology degree. As time went on, my husband was a teacher, he was a coach, and inspired me. So I went into education and ended up loving it.
Anthony Godfrey:
I love that. That's a great range of experience that you bring to help support teachers. Now Mr. Keating, I'm going to have to call you Mr. Keating. I'm a Big Dead Poet Society fan. Mr. Keating.
Pat Keating:
Seize the day.
Anthony Godfrey:
Yes, that's right. Tell us about where you first got interested in fitness and the journey that brought you here. I know you've worked at a lot of different schools with a lot of people that you and I have in common over the years.
Pat Keating:
Yeah, for sure. First of all, I played sports my whole life. I couldn't get enough of sports. I pretty much dabbled in just about every sport known to man. In college, I played football up at Idaho State and stuff. I didn't go into the military. I had all four brothers who went into the military, I was the only one that didn't. They said, "If you can go play football in college, you go play football." So I did.
And then I just, for whatever reason, sports just became such a part of my life and fitness and stuff. I just thought, "You know what? This would be a great thing for me to pursue." So I went into education and I got a double major in special education and physical education. So I have bounced back and forth with the two. I think I've spent 14 years in special ed and this is my 19th year in physical education.
Anthony Godfrey:
Well, that shows your range as an educator to be able to be such an effective special educator and switch to physical education. And like I said, you're iconic. Lots of people know you and really admire the work you do as an educator. Talk to me about the impact that a physical education class can have on a student.
Tricia Rojas:
Well, the PE teacher has a unique place in the school and an opportunity to reach kids in a way that the classroom teacher doesn't have the opportunity for. So being able to take the kid, get them moving and give them this free space and judgment-free zone to just try, rather than being a competitive thing or for a grade. Just try. See what you can do. Set your own goals. Try to reach them.
Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me, Pat, tell me about the impact that you've seen over the years of physical education on individual students.
Pat Keating:
Well, I've seen kids totally blossom. I've had kids come in that, like you said, they had no sports background. They had no confidence in doing things. They wanted to kind of stand in the shadows because they'd see other kids that played football or basketball or all these sports.
So my big thing is, which we were just playing, is floor hockey. It's a sport that– hockey in general is a sport that's not huge in Utah. So I usually like to start a semester or a quarter out with floor hockey. And I tell the kids, “Look, who plays hockey in here? Sometimes I get one hand go up. Sometimes I don't have any with 40 or 50 kids. And I tell all the kids, “Look around, see how many great hockey players we have in here.” And I said “You're all starting at the same level. It doesn't matter if these other kids play sports. This is a totally different sport. They have no background in it.” And for whatever reason, it kind of lights a fire underneath them to like, ‘hey, you know what? I mean, they don't have any experience in this either.’ And they get out there and they start trying.
And man, I see some kids that are so kind of withdrawn and skittish. It just lights a fire in them. And so it kind of triggers them to try in these other sports, even though, like when we do soccer, we'll have a lot of kids that have soccer experience. Or when we do basketball. But starting out with floor hockey kind of sets a good tone to get these kids feeling like, “Hey, I can do this”, you know.
Anthony Godfrey:
I love how intentional you are about creating that experience early on so that students feel very comfortable trying something different and really putting all of themselves into it.
Pat Keating:
Yeah. And I always tell them, I said, “Look, this is the one class that even if you're not great in here if you're giving me a great effort, you're participating, you show good sportsmanship, you can get as good a grade as the kid that is the elite athlete in here. What other class can you do that? In math, if you do terrible on a math test, you're not going to get an A.” This is a class that you know what, you come in, you participate, you know what, you have fun, you get active, you're moving.
My big thing is just to get these kids moving. That's always been my goal and stuff. I mean, because, you know, people say, “Oh, hey, obesity is an epidemic.” Nope. Inactivity is an epidemic. Obesity is the result of that. And if we can just get these kids moving, it doesn't matter. I don't care if they're good. I don't care if they can throw a ball 30 yards as long as they're trying and they're moving and they're participating. I feel like I've won if I can get them to do that.
Anthony Godfrey:
I love that approach. There are so many benefits to students, like you said, from just getting out there and moving. And I think they benefit the rest of the day or if they're taking this class early in the day, the rest of their classes, their mind is operating better when they get to get out there and move.
Pat Keating:
Yeah, yeah.
Pack it in the middle. Edges, edges, go up the edges.
Anthony Godfrey:
So we're down in the gym now and we've got some bright orange pucks and some brightly colored sticks here. Am I supposed to bang it against the floor to kind of get it?
Pat Keating:
Yeah, sometimes they do that. So we teach the kids the ready position. The top hand is always at the top of the stick, bottom hand is about halfway down. So if you were to lean forward, you kind of can support yourself a little bit with it. When we teach them how to shoot, the first thing the kid wants to do is wind up–
Anthony Godfrey:
Oh yeah, they want to come way up.
Pat Keating:
–and then they want to come through. So we eliminate all that. In hockey, that's a slap shot. We won't let them do slap shots. So in here we teach them just a little wrist shot or a little snapshot. So there's no backswing, they just trap the puck. They come forward and they get out to that front foot. See how my body will square up as I turn it. So as I pull forward, then I snap the puck.
Anthony Godfrey:
Oh wow, you're good at that. Okay, so you lean forward.
Pat Keating:
Yeah, and then you get it out. Once you get it out, up past your front foot, then you push and snap.
Anthony Godfrey:
Oh hey, that went farther than I expected it to. It did not go up in the air though, like I wanted it to.
Pat Keating:
So it's just a push. I tell the kids, it's a push and then snap. So it's pushed and then snap.
Anthony Godfrey:
Hey, got some air that time.
Pat Keating:
There you go.
Anthony Godfrey:
I've got to twist a little bit more though, right? Then the one knee.
Pat Keating:
Yep, you're just going to put a little pressure on that stick. See that one you slapped and come up through.
Anthony Godfrey:
I slapped.
Pat Keating:
Yep.
Anthony Godfrey:
Dang it. Oh, I didn't think about that. There's a lot to think about. There's a lot to think about.
Pat Keating:
There's definitely a lot.
Anthony Godfrey:
That is really fun but you know what? As soon as the puck leaves, I want another puck right there to try it again.
Pat Keating:
Oh yeah.
Anthony Godfrey:
You're right. Ijust want to keep trying and make it better and play through the mistakes just like you said.
Pat Keating:
It is definitely addicting. Once we get these kids going, you'll see how much fun they have with this.
Anthony Godfrey:
That’s awesome.
Stay with us. When we come back more with Patrick Keating and Tricia Rojas.
Break:
In Jordan School District, we like to support students in and outside the classroom along with their families. That's where the Jordan Family Education Center comes in, offering support services and a wide variety of classes for students and their families, free of charge. You can take a class called Blues Busters for children feeling sad or worried. Just Breathe is a class that helps students reduce stress. Or how about a class that supports parents in helping their children make and keep good friends. There are also support groups and free counseling, all provided by Jordan School District school psychologists, counselors, and school psychology interns. To find out how you can benefit from free family support services offered by the Jordan Family Education Center, call 801-565-7442 or visit guidance.jordandistrict.org.
Anthony Godfrey:
So guys, tell me about playing hockey in this class.
Student #1:
It’s pretty fun.
Anthony Godfrey:
What do you like about it?
Student #1:
Shooting the puck.
Anthony Godfrey:
Shooting the puck. Have you had some goals?
Student #1:
Yeah.
Anthony Godfrey:
Oh yeah? How about for you? What do you like about it?
Student #2:
Yeah, I love the competition. We have a competitive class, so it's fun.
Anthony Godfrey:
How long have you been able to stay on the winner's court? How many teams have you blown through?
Student #2:
We've gone a day without losing a game.
Anthony Godfrey:
Oh wow, that's awesome. That's great. Tell me about Coach Keating. What's he like?
Student #2:
He's great.
Student #1:
He's so fun.
Student #2:
He's a great teacher.
Anthony Godfrey:
What do you love about his class?
Student #2:
I like all the activities that we get to do and he gets to teach us some basic skills for those other teams.
Anthony Godfrey:
That's awesome. What do you like about Coach Keating?
Student #3:
What I like about Coach Keating is that he's fun. He's very muscular.
Anthony Godfrey:
Oh yeah?
Student #3:
Yeah.
Anthony Godfrey:
Something to aspire to?
Student #3:
Yeah, it inspires me to get muscles.
Anthony Godfrey:
Do you think you can grow as tall as Mr. Keating?
Student #3:
Yes.
Anthony Godfrey:
Okay, I believe in you. I think you can do it.
Student #3:
Thank you.
Patrick Keating:
Hey, glasses on! Glasses on! Here we go, get ready. Spread out, spread out!
Anthony Godfrey:
We're up in the room where you do circuit training with students. Just tell us a little bit about this. You've got machines throughout the room. I'm sure this is a very popular spot.
Pat Keating:
Yeah, so our fitness room, we set it up for circuit training and we've got 25 stations. So the kids will partner up. Two kids do a station. Every station has either a machine and then a secondary exercise. So when one of the kids is on the machine, their partner is out front, either doing push-ups, jumping jacks, jump rope, or whatever the secondary exercise is.
We do intervals of about 35 to 40 seconds. The clock will beep, the kids will then switch, the kid on the machine will do the secondary exercise, the kid doing the secondary exercise will go to the machine. The next time it beeps, they move to the next station. We have built-in water breaks about every 12 stations, so the kids know exactly when they can be in the hall and get a water break and when they can't.
Anthony Godfrey:
So it's very structured, it's cooperative where they're working together, and there's always something for someone to do, so you're making the most of that time.
Pat Keating:
Yes, there's never any downtime unless they're on a water break.
Anthony Godfrey:
You know, everyone has been in a PE class over the course of their life at some point or another. Tell me, what are some of the myths about physical education class? What are maybe the misunderstandings? Sometimes because we've all been in school, we think things haven't evolved and things haven't changed. How are physical education classes different now from what they used to be?
Pat Keating:
Well, I think the big myth is we just roll a cart of balls out and say go. And it can't be farther from the truth. At least not in the middle school setting that I've always taught in. We teach. We teach skills, we teach drills, we teach the rules, we simplify it and stuff.
We take out hard rules to learn and stuff so the kids can enjoy the game. We take out offsides in soccer because it would take us a whole month to teach these kids that don't have soccer experience. So we simplify the games and stuff so they can all play it and have a good time and not always be thinking, ‘Oh, is this correct?’ And we'll let them know if it is or isn't.
I don't know if you know this, but we have an open gym two days a week after school, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, every Tuesday and Thursday. And we get about 50+ kids every Tuesday and Thursday that come after school and play for an hour. We set up volleyball, we have basketball, badminton, we'll put balance boards out. We'll have all these different activities for these kids to play and they come religiously every single day. And they have a little barcode, they scan in and sign in and stuff. And if they want to make up runs that they've missed or anything for PE, they can come make that up.
But they come in and it is such a good program. If we did it five days a week, we would have the gym packed five days a week after school. I mean, it's just I love it because I'm thinking myself, the kids who are showing up are kids that don't have anything like that available to them once they leave this school.
Anthony Godfrey:
I love hearing that. I love that you make that available to them.
Pat Keating:
Yeah, so it's been really awesome.
Tricia Rojas:
Yeah, I think that's a really, really good point. And I'm seeing these opportunities popping up at different schools throughout the district because I think the teachers are seeing a need for it. I don't think it's that the kids don't want to be active and they don't want to go play outside. But the screen is so enticing. Whenever a kid's given a choice, an option, go outside or play on your screen, it's almost automatic screen time. But when you remove that access, I think they find that they find their joy and their love of being active again. It's being a kid. That's great.
Anthony Godfrey:
While you're out and about supporting physical education teachers throughout the district, what are some of the great things that you see happening out there? What are the characteristics of a really successful physical education teacher?
Tricia Rojas:
Number one is engagement with the kids. The relationships that they build, the high fives are out at lunch duty. It's really happening a lot outside their class as well. You see the kids just light up. It is definitely the relationship with the kids that these coaches are making. And they'll work for them. You know, they'll work in the gym and in their classrooms because they just build that rapport.
Anthony Godfrey:
And Pat, I love the way you described it. You provide an environment where students who are athletic are able to excel and really be at their best. And students who aren't sure they belong here can really find things within them that they didn't think were there. And so that's a pathway to creating a relationship with every student that walks in your door.
Pat Keating:
Yeah. It's fun to see their eyes light up when they make their first goal in hockey. Or finally make a basket at the end of the basketball unit. Because I tell all the kids, “Look, it doesn't matter. If you miss, you keep trying.”
That's the beauty of sports. You don't have to back up like you do in math and correct a mistake and you race it and go back to where you made the mistake. In sports, you keep playing through mistakes. You just keep playing hard and good things will happen and stuff. So I'm always encouraging you to keep going, keep going, you know.
Anthony Godfrey:
That's great advice. Play through your mistakes. Just keep moving forward.
Tricia Rojas:
Yeah and for me, the mental resiliency that comes. I believe that you know, your mental toughness is directly tied to your physical abilities. So whenever you do something difficult physically, it naturally builds up your mental toughness and resiliency.
Anthony Godfrey:
Well, thank you both for taking the time. I'm thrilled with all the opportunities you're giving students. I wish I could go back in time and take your class.
Pat Keating:
Oh, you'd be good.
Anthony Godfrey:
It sounds so great. And just thank you for what you do to support teachers throughout the district. This has really been a thrill to talk with you both.
Pat Keating:
Well, thank you.
Tricia Rojas:
Thank you, Dr. Godfrey.
Anthony Godfrey:
Thanks for joining us on another episode of the Supercast. Remember, education is the most important thing you'll do today. We'll see you out there.