Published March 10, 2017
Zack Thompson is a senior in the Health and Human Performance (K-12) program at CSU. The Alden, New York, resident says the major, “has given me the opportunity to combine my passion of sports with helping students take care of their God-given bodies.”
Personal Fit
He loves learning to be both a role model and educator to students of different backgrounds and appreciates the individualized instruction he’s received. “Doc Brown has done a great job helping me mold my personal teaching style to fit the needs and expectations of different age groups and class sizes.” He has a great relationship with his Health and Human Performance professors, in and out of the classroom. They attend his athletic events, make themselves available to listen and give him spiritual and career advice when needed.
Jumping In
He says, “Health and Human Performance allowed me to gain a lot experience in the classroom setting even before student teaching.” To get hands-on practice related to his future career, he taught homeschool students in the Clarks Summit area and served at the Riverfront Sports Complex, leading adapted physical education games for students with special needs. With his classes, he went on numerous field trips to focus on techniques and game strategies in real-world situations, not just as discussion in a classroom.
In addition to program-related experiences, he was able to get involved in a variety of other activities at CSU. He’s a member of the men’s basketball and cross-country teams, travelled for two summers with RiSE worship team, went on a CSU-led missions trip to Jamaica, became involved in a local church and counseled at Teen Leadership Conference.
Prepared for His Career
Methodology courses in health and physical education have been his favorite so far. “These courses focus around how to plan, teach and evaluate different lessons to be effective, efficient and applicable to real-life situations. These classes gave me the chance to practice teaching; I then got feedback about how I can improve,” he explains. “I now use many strategies in my student teaching placement.”
“I was able to spend a lot of time developing my philosophy of education and coaching to form goals for myself and for my students. I’ve really enjoyed applying my personality in the classroom in order to connect to my students and make learning both enjoyable and affective,” he says.
Student Teaching
Thompson is completing his student-teaching experience in Honduras. “Student teaching has been a very smooth transition for me from the classroom. Many of the activities, games and lesson plans I created in my core pedagogy classes have been able to be reused with actual students.” As an assistant coach at the school at which he’s student teaching, he says he is very comfortable leading drills, helping students recover from injury and give devotionals on a weekly basis because of the training he’s received at CSU.
Experiencing the CSU Difference
“I’ve grown a ton both as a Christian and as a man at CSU by sitting under the teaching of Godly professors, being around a community of spiritually focused friends and playing for coaches who really care about me,” Thompson summarizes. “I’ve been encouraged and challenged by my dorm dad, work supervisor and worship team leader to use my God-given abilities for more than myself. I’ve learned from my basketball coaches how my work ethic can reveal my spiritual condition and to overcome adversity in life and on the floor. I was able to live away from home for the first time and really decide how serious I was about following Christ in an environment that pushed me to take advantage of numerous opportunities that were outside of my comfort zone.”
Future Plans
He hopes to start his career after graduation at a public, inner-city middle or high school. “I have a real passion for working with kids who come from difficult backgrounds,” he explains, “and I hope to work both as a physical educator as well as a men’s basketball coach. I feel very prepared to begin teaching my own classes in both health and physical education and look forward to mentoring students by showing God’s love to those who desperately need Him.”
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