Game Plans and Lesson Plans-If Teachers Played a Sport here at Magnet
Blake Yarborough and Sam Abney
Have you ever been sitting in class watching your teacher lecture and you doze and wonder what they were like when they were younger. Maybe you have imagined Coach Rush sinking a three and hitting a home run, or Mr. Stackhouse smashing into people while playing hockey. In this article we are going to look into other teachers who maybe do not have a sport connected to their past. It is also easy to overlook our teacher’s athletic ability when we are staring at them with a whiteboard marker. But even if they never played a sport, their teaching and personalities still show promise of a sports career. Have you ever thought about if their life turned out differently.
For some, the relationship between their sport and subject is seamless. Mr. Rush and baseball paired with his AP U.S. History teaching represents baseball’s American history; Also Mrs. Yackey’s Ultimate frisbee ability pairs with her ability to calculate the arc length and area of circles as she teaches geometry.
Teachers who once wore jersey numbers instead of teacher ID numbers often carry their athletics into their classrooms. Sports demand discipline, teamwork, and hard work which are many of the same qualities it takes to be a great teacher. A former quarterback in the classroom can display collaboration into their class with group work and quick thinking to resolve problems.
So we ask ourselves, What if our teachers really did play a sport-what sport would they play? Is this determined by their confidence, their competitiveness, or their calmness from years of teaching or years or shooting threes or catching frisbees.
Dr. Bard: Center, Basketball- First year French 4, 5, and AP French teacher Dr. Bard would be a perfect basketball player. Dr. Bard’s commanding height makes him a great fit for the NBA. The Los Angeles Lakers are quoted as saying that they “Still need a center on this poverty team” and I believe they should look no further than recruiting Dr. Bard for this great task. With a height of well over six feet, he would fit the average height for NBA players. His connection and background with the French language gives him a fitting player comparison to the French national team and San Antonio Spurs star player Victor Wembanyama. He would be a center and a force to be reckoned with when it comes to grabbing rebounds and scoring easy gritty put back buckets for his team. Dr Bard’s familiarity with world language would prove as an advantage to infiltrate opposing international teams’ plans on the court. His knowledge of the French language would make it difficult for specifically the French National Team and Victor Wembanyama to talk about plays on the court, as Dr Bard could easily translate and relay information back to star LeBron James and the United States men’s national team.
Ms. Hurt: Middle Linebacker, Football- AP Lang and Newspaper teacher Ms. Carol Hurt would be a defensive unit if she decided to take her talents to the NFL to play Middle Linebacker. Although she may be slightly undersized in this specific category, Ms. Hurt has all that it takes to play at the highest level. Ms Hurt’s superb ability to read and interpret the English language and literature would be a great tool to have as a linebacker. Linebackers are normally tasked with reading and interpreting offenses along with their formations. Ms Hurt, with this capability, would have a playstyle similar to all pro middle linebacker and ex Carolina Panthers player, Luke Kuechly who was known for his keen eyes and intelligence to slice apart offenses, and always being one step ahead of quarterbacks. Ms Hurt is also known to be a commanding voice in the classroom, keeping her classrooms in order in times of rowdiness. This skill should transfer over nicely as Middle Linebackers are the core of the defense, communicating throughout entire games.
Mr. Floyd: Tight End, Football- Mr. Floyd would be the optimal tight end, his height and muscular build gives him a player comparison to Travis Kelce. Mr. Floyd is a math teacher who specializes in Algebra II, may seem like just the numbers type of guy; but back in the day we predicted he could’ve been a force to be reckoned with. He would be known for his strength and sure hands ensuring to always be open on a Slant…. Asymptote. We could predict him balancing blocking on runs, and catching passes. Being a student of his, we can see this translation. His lesson plans consist of structured plays that are strategic and designed to help every student reach the end zone of math. Whether he’s breaking down quadratic equations or drawing up plays; Mr Floyd brings that same skill set to football.
Ms. Yackey: Wide receiver, football- Ms Yackey would be the perfect teacher for the wide receiver position. Her energy in the classroom would be a great quality to have as a wide receiver, looking to release off the line to beat defenseless corner backs. Ms Yackey has a background in playing ultimate frisbee on the national level for the United States Frisbee team. This would translate over nicely to a league like the NFL, as she is used to catching, just not with the shape of a football. This switch of shape should have no impact on Ms. Yackey’s performance, as her background in geometry will allow her to correctly verify the change in velocity of the football, using her equation -4.9t^2 +Vot + So to calculate the velocity. She will also be qualified for calculating the parabola of the football’s journey in the air with her history in teaching precalculus. Ms Yackey would be a difficult teacher to line up against as her background in honors stats gives her the power to keep track of her opponents stats, and calling out mismatches she sees on the line.
Ms. Shiflette: Tennis- Ms. Shiflette would be the perfect fit for the tennis court. Her close attention to the texts that she reads in English 4, and her sharp attention to detail in the grammar she reads in peers’ Beowulf essays proves useful on the tennis court. In tennis, detail and focus is key in hitting accurate shots inbounds and with power, which is something that would surely be an advantage to Ms. Shiflette’s game. The job of grading so many students’ essays builds up mental fortitude, and stamina when it comes to reading and doing schoolwork. I believe this would transfer over to tennis, as tennis players are usually tasked with long matches that do not have a time limit, causing them to last many many hours. Just as she analyzes every word and line in a poem, she’d study her opponent’s movements, anticipating their next serve with ease.
Mrs. Grayson: Fencing-Mrs. Grayson is a beloved English teacher here at Magnet and her AP Lang ability which improves her ability to write argumentative essays makes her a perfect fit for fencing. Mrs. Grayson’s knowledge of logical fallacies and reasoning in her AP Lang classes allows her to perfectly trade her pen for a foils and she has a chance to become a competitive fencer. We could see Mrs. Grayson even represents The United States in the next Olympics if she brings her skill set over from her teaching. Her ability to duel and debate someone in our class shows her strengths of quick thinking and sharp reasoning. She shows how words can become blades and carry strength within a duel.
Ms. Roop: Fishing/surfing- Ms. Roop would be the best teacher at Academic Magnet for the position of professional deep sea fishing. Ms Roop’s knowledge on the environment stems from her background in science and biology, specifically Marine Biology, which applies to this profession the most. Her background in so many marine creatures and fish will make it a piece of cake to track down the big trophy tuna fish that will win her a fat cash prize. Her analysis of the current patterns will lead her right to the jackpots she desires to obtain. Her familiarity with the species of fish and other sea creatures will allow her to know exactly what she is going to catch in different habitats, and what fish eats what bait or food. If Ms. Roop decided that this career pathway in professional fishing, Marine biology, or general biology would not float her boat any longer, she could start a successful surfing career. Ms Roop’s knowledge on the tides and currents would allow her to read the swells, her knowledge on the peaks of waves, and how steep the waves will become will also prove useful in catching the wave and riding it in. These skills that Ms. Roop could surely secure her a championship in the World Surf League.
Mr. Percy: Rugby- Mr. Percy fits rugby perfectly, his tactical and statistical approach to teaching can be translated to sports. Rugby is perfectly described as an organized chaos which models AP stats and the models that come with it. Mr. Percy is a proud University of South Carolina fan and his commitment and grit to still supporting our football team. Mr. Percy’s grit and determination will help with his rugby ability. He teaches his students that organized chaos still follows a pattern and his valuable knowledge of r scores. His fast paced teaching resembles the fast pace of rugby. Mr. Percy is able to make quick decisions and problem solve within a few milliseconds which is needed for rugby when players are attempting to tackle. We could predict him making a move back to the University of South Carolina and becoming a captain for the team. After this advanced reports through our super computers show how he will become a superstar in the Olympics joining Mrs. Yackey.
Dr Altman: Football, Tight End- Dr. Altman is our beloved but, retired French teacher but, we are predicting a comeback for her. This is going to give her a player comparison to Rob Gronkowski who returned from retirement to win the Super Bowl with the Buccaneers. She was a tenacious force in the classroom and we predict that her strong demeanor will translate over. Her comedic ability while keeping her teaching strong and helping her students reach the end zone will be a perfect personality translation. Even in the downfall of her career she was still a star at the school. Many students flocked to her study hall to collaborate with students in the lively environment she created. This shows how her being on a football team shows her teamwork and she will now have to become more of a morale booster or the glue guy. Gronk and Brady are an iconic duo and our computers recommended Ron Afflebach, her esteemed boyfriend as her duo. Ron and Altman are like Brady and Gronk, Batman and Robin, Salt and Pepper. This seasoned couple are sure to show how youthiness will lose to wiseness every time.
There is no doubt that the teachers at Academic Magnet High School are some of the most qualified and some of the best teachers in the world. Their expertise and experience has led them to become great teachers for our school and successful educators of the younger generation. These teachers, however, could have pursued vastly different career paths if they decided to not make the jump to teaching, but to rather an athletic field. Teachers could have been football players, basketball players, and rugby stars among other athletic fields. This leaves one to wonder how their careers could have progressed, and if some would be successful in their field, maybe even an MVP candidate? Although this would be a great feat to accomplish, I know that all of the teachers on this list are perfect for teaching the student body we have here at academic magnet high school.
