Mr. Brian Smith is a Physical Education teacher here at Prep. He has been teaching for 30 years, 24 at PHS, 5 at School 11, and this is his first year here at Prep. Mr. Smith studied at William Paterson University, where he obtained his degree in Physical Education. He also coaches football and he is the head coach of the wrestling team, which practices at Prep.
Mr. Smith gave The Boulevard Online some of his free time to let Prep get to know him better.
The Boulevard Online: What pushed you to become a Physical Education teacher, and did you have any other desires when you were younger?
Mr. Smith: I started coaching high school football when I was young, when I was 19 years old. And from there, I decided to become a PhysEd Teacher, going into education. I always had good teachers when I was growing up that were good role models for me. I thought I could give back like a kind teacher.
TBO: What do you enjoy most about being a physical education teacher?
Mr. Smith: I enjoy interacting with students, talking to students on a daily basis, and seeing them develop as they get older and do well as they go on to do what they want.
TBO: What’s your favorite sport?
Mr. Smith: I’ve been coaching football for 30-something years. I’ve coached wrestling for 30 years, but my favorite sport is baseball.
TBO: If you could choose any superpower, what would it be and why?
Mr. Smith: Invisibility. Why? Kinda cool to be invisible.
TBO: If you had the money, what place would you visit and why?
Mr. Smith: I’ve been to a lot of places, there’s no one place.
TBO: What’s your favorite spot, then?
Mr. Smith: Ireland, I’ve been there. Maybe Hawaii, I don’t really have a specific answer for that.
TBO: What language do you want to learn the most?
Mr. Smith: Spanish. I’m always interacting with Spanish speakers. I want to be able to communicate and learn.
TBO: What’s your favorite movie?
Mr. Smith: “The Outlaw Josie Wales.”
TBO: What is it about?
Mr. Smith: It’s a Western.
TBO: Do you have any advice for students that are graduating?
Mr. Smith: One thing I can tell you is, don’t believe everything they tell you you have to do. Don’t think you have to go to a four-year school and spend a lot of money as soon as you graduate. There’s a lot to offer as far as getting into community colleges and the trade schools that you could go to, then make your decision whether you want to pursue that academically to go into a four-year school. Don’t get yourself into debt young, do what you want to do. Do something that’s going to make you happy, not because it’s what you’re supposed to do.
TBO: Do you have any advice for students who might want to become a physical education teacher?
Mr. Smith: Be ready, because the thing about physical education is that it’s a difficult major. It’s not an easy major, it is a Bachelor of Science. There are a lot of courses that you have to take that aren’t easy. Everyone says I’m going to be a PhysEd teacher, then they find out there’s a lot of struggle as far as what you need to take, the classes. You know, for example, anatomy, physiology, psychology. A lot of people don’t want to do that. And that’s why a lot of people aren’t a PhysEd teacher.
TBO: Thank you for allowing us to interview you!
Mr. Smith: No problem.
