WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28, 2012
PAGE 17 THE SPOKE
FEATURES
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Photos: Maddie DeVlieger/The SPOKE
The Spoke: How do you think psychology helps students learn more about themselves? Mark Flores: There’s an inherent interest in the course for students. They get an opportunity to reflect on themselves and basically apply the content [to their daily lives].
T.S.: What would a job in sports psychology involve? M.F.: The field allows for the fusion of two of my interests. [I would like] the application of content to benefit people, psychology reflecting on behavior and using that to perform better in an athletic performance.
T.S.: What are your hobbies? M.F.: I’m a passionate New York sports fan, so I enjoy watching baseball, basketball and football. I enjoy running, exercising, reading and playing with my two young boys.
T.S.: What is your favorite part of teaching? M.F.: The passion that students express. The benefit of teaching an AP course that’s an elective is that my students want to be in the seats that they’re in, and there’s passion that they show in respect to the content. That’s very rewarding.
T.S.: How many years have you been teaching at Conestoga? M.F.: This is my 16th year overall, seventh at Conestoga. T.S.: If you weren’t a teacher, what could you see yourself doing? M.F.: I really enjoy the field of psychology, particularly sports psychology. Anything where I might be able to help folks.
T.S.: How is it teaching two classes (Honors U.S. History and AP Psychology) that are so different? M.F.: On the surface they may seem different, but there’s actually some nice overlap. Sometimes my students roll their eyes and say, “Here we go again, he’s
bringing psychology into U.S.,” or “U.S. into psychology.” There are more similarities than some others might notice.
when you were in high school? M.F.: I played basketball and baseball and I was involved in the debate team.
T.S.: If you could have dinner with any three people, who would they be? M.F.: Derek Jeter, the shortstop for the New York Yankees, President John Kennedy and Barack Obama. Jeter, because he’s the greatest baseball player ever; Kennedy, because I want to find out what really happened and Obama, because I want to tell him how to fix the state of the nation.
T.S.: What is your favorite event in U.S. history, and why? M.F.: I’m going to go with something more recent. The election of Barack Obama was
T.S.: What do you think is the hardest part of teaching? M.F.: The behind-the-scenes stuff [and] the preparation for daily lessons. [Being] in front of the students is the rewarding piece that makes the job worth it, but there’s a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff that is grinding. T.S.: What were you involved in
groundbreaking in terms of how far we’ve come. In U.S. [history class], we’re beginning the Civil Rights Movement right now, and to think that 60 years ago an African American would be elected president was an impossibility.
Interview by Natalie West, Features Editor.
favorites book:
Tree”
Anything nonfiction. In my parent life, “The Giving
band: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers color: Blue movie: “Revenge of the Nerds” food: Pizza vacation spot: The Outer Banks song: “Free Fallin’” by Tom Petty