In the Classroom

Born in Burlington, Wisconsin

Grew up in Port Charlotte, Florida

BA, University of South Florida

Favorite Movie: The Shawshank Redemption

Favorite Book: Catcher in the Rye

Hobbies: Guitar, disc golfing and homebrewing

2021 Middle School Teaching Excellence Award winner

as voted on by middle school students

Adam Chumbley

Making PE Awesome

Where did you grow up?

I moved to Florida when I was young and went to Port Charlotte High School. I lucked into a track scholarship to the University of South Florida and earned my PE degree there. Any hidden talents or interests?

Funny story. I fi gured after one year of little league, as an 11-year-old, that I would for sure hit it big. My strategy was not to play baseball until high school, then make varsity, and then make the natural transition to professional baseball. Shockingly, I did not make the team. The track coach had watched me crush the baseball offseason conditioning workouts and recruited me to be a distance runner for cross country. A couple of state championships and a Division I 10K title later…turns out my talent wasn’t on the baseball diamond. Who inspired you in teaching?

Mr. Valella, who taught me that anything is possible. This had to be true because I have no idea how I could do three sports and still be in his Thespian Society troupe. Also, Rob Heller, my former co-athletic director at Corbett Prep in Florida, helped me understand how important patience is while teaching and coaching. And my parents always told me they didn’t care what I chose to do in life as long as I worked tirelessly to be the best at it. Did you always know you wanted to be a teacher?

Yes, ever since my sophomore year of high school. My high school PE teacher asked me what I wanted to do for a career, and I said, “I want to do you what you do.” She jokingly begged me not to do it. I’m not sure if it was my innate desire to inspire students to have a love of movement or if it was to prove others wrong, but either way, it has worked out pretty darn well. What is your favorite part of teaching?

I love when a student tells me that PE is their favorite class. Many adults tell me their PE experience in high school wasn’t the greatest, so my goal is for every student to have a fun and positive experience when they leave my class and to share that experience with others. That is the most important standard or benchmark I can hit. Any surprises about virtual PE?

Their willingness to think outside the box surprised me. Some days we are doing survivor-style planks to see who can last the longest, then we are volleying a paper ball on one leg, and then we fi nish with a cupstacking competition. The students have had awesome attitudes. They humor me, regardless of the silliness of the activity. It’s been fun.

“My takeaway—if you have a goal in your mind, that’s not good enough. You have to chisel a goal in stone to attain what you set out to achieve.”

What do you have to do differently to teach virtually?

I found that what you give is what you will get in teaching virtually. If your outlook is awesome, you will get awesome results in return. With students back on campus, do you notice they appreciate interacting differently?

Without question, I have noticed a stronger team effort and a willingness to help a classmate. This goes a long way in a PE class, helping create a safe and fun class atmosphere. How do students surprise you?

I learned a long time ago never to underestimate students. There are no real surprises, just students stepping up to the plate. I have asked them to put their best foot forward and every day, they have answered the call. Do any lessons you learned from playing a college sport translate to your role as a teacher?

My freshman year at USF we were a top 20 team in the nation and went to the NCAA National Championships. After the seniors graduated the following year, there was no leadership. We did not fare well. My takeaway—if you have a goal in your mind, that’s not good enough. You have to chisel a goal in stone to attain what you set out to achieve.

The irony is that fi rmly setting goals and taking steps to achieve them actually makes the journey easy. My junior year at USF was the fi rst time I ever had a coach ask me what my hopes were for the season. I told the coach I wanted to win the Conference USA 10,000-meter title. Every lap of that race, she was on the backstretch reminding me of why I was going to win. And I did.

“If you think you can or think you can’t—you’re right.” (Henry Ford) That always stuck with me, and I use that quote all the time in PE classes. Tell us about your family?

I met my wife Sara at my best friend’s wedding in Florida. We went on one date before she returned to Seattle. We decided to FaceTime a bit, and after a couple weeks, I knew I was moving to Washington. I drove my pickup truck to Seattle, asked her to marry me one year to the day we met, and now seven years later we have two boys, ages 2 and 4.

We live in Silvana, which is a small farm town outside of Stanwood, and it has a population of 90. The commute to and from home is less than ideal, but I truly believe EC is where I’m meant to be. The students often ask me, “I heard you live closer to Canada than EC … is that true?” I share a good laugh with them because it’s actually true.