Impacting a New Generation of Aztec warriors

By Jason K

Miguel Cortez, a PE teacher here at Yerba Buena High School, strives to be a great PE teacher for every student he gets in each period every year. When asked about his first year here as a PE teacher, he told us how hard it was for him in the first year not knowing what was going to hit him and if this profession was correct for him or not.

Cortez: “It was tough! I didn’t know if I was gonna make it, straight hundred no cap. I was ready to walk away from the profession after the first year but I’m glad I didn’t. I stuck around but it was very very hard. I had to learn a lot in a short period of time.”

First coming into the ESUHSD, Cortez didn’t know what position he was going to be offered and which school he would be landing into. It was all a surprise until the district contacted him and gave him the information.

Cortez: “Originally, I didn’t know that I was going to be a PE teacher but I didn’t have a choice to come here. I was placed here by the district after I was hired.”

Connecting with students who don't want to engage in any physical activity can be hard, but Cortez still tries his best to put his all into the students he has with him. Being a PE teacher can be a hard and a tough task to deal with, especially trying to get students to move on their feet, but with the right mindset Cortez has, anything can be possible.

Cortez: “I just try my best to impress upon them that you’ve only got one body and I know that movement is medicine. As long as you continue to move, you’re promoting good health and wellness so if you’re not gonna do it for me now, I hope that they find it later but I just do whatever I can to try to inspire that into them. You gotta move to be healthy!”

Cortez’s favorite unit that he loves to teach and show to his students is between team handball and street hockey. Though if he had to choose one, it would be street hockey.

Cortez: “Team handball or street hockey, it’s a toss up but I would have to say…street hockey.”

Knowing that Cortez was a former YB student, he had four years of PE back then instead of now as students would only be given two years of PE. The PE teachers he had played a big role in Cortez's teaching style as a PE teacher and he had gotten inspiration from a specific PE teacher named Mr. Holts. Cortez would look up to Holts and would have some of Holts’ teaching style to use on his students.

Cortez: “I had a really good PE teacher named Mr. Holts, he really taught me a lot about self-discipline. He was a very fair teacher and I really enjoyed his class and teaching style. I definitely have him in mind when I do things with my kids/students.”

When asked if Cortez keeps in touch with any of his old high school teachers, he only has one person he still talks to and sees from time to time and it's no other than Mr. Holts.

Cortez: “I see him (Mr. Holts) from time to time. He does come by YB and his wife works in the counseling office as a volunteer.”

Cortez also expresses interest in being a teacher within the social studies department if he wasn’t to become a PE teacher. He is into past history and current events nowadays.

Cortez: “If I wasn’t a PE teacher, I think I would want to be a social studies teacher teaching history. I’m always fascinated about what happened before I got here. I’m always fascinated about current events as well and so I think social studies/US history.”

Cortez also did join some athletics during his times at YB. He pushed himself into joining sports as that was his main way of meeting new people and getting involved in things to make high school more fun. His PE teachers always promoted athletics and clubs that YB has to offer so knowing that, Cortez took note and decided to join four total sports teams here.

Cortez: “I ran cross country, I played soccer, I ran track, and I did football.”

Students can also generate great impacts on their teachers, whether that’s in a bad or good way, but fortunately for Cortez, one particular student inspired him into striving for greatness and to keep going at it. The student he mentioned who helped him the most was Amy Yung, a graduate of the year 2018.

Cortez: “There’s a few. I think the most prominent one was Amy Yung who graduated in 2018. She gave me a lot of words of encouragement. She was a sophomore in my PE class and she was the big reason why I was nominated and won teacher of the year at YB in 2016. She was the one that nominated me. She did a lot of good things for me.”

This all sums up the significant events Cortez had experienced here at Yerba Buena High School. He had learned a lot about what this school has to offer to him and how unique each new set of classes is every year. Cortez hopes to generate more impact on students and to even learn more things from this new generation of Aztec Warriors.