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In middle school, Amber Rylak’s physical education (PE) teacher, Karen Coveleski, influenced her. In fact, Rylak wanted to be like her Coveleski coach, so she matched her gym outfit with sneakers and shoelaces just like her coach.
Coveleski became Rylak’s soccer coach and, more importantly, a mentor who brought Rylak under her umbrella and taught her about the importance of an active lifestyle. It’s no exaggeration to say that Coveleski coaches have changed the trajectory of dedicated students.
Rylak loves running and ran track at the University of New Jersey at college level, majoring in health and exercise science. After graduating, he followed in his mentor’s footsteps and began teaching physical education at a middle school in Princeton, New Jersey.
Rylak loved teaching middle school and coaching sports, but when he got the opportunity to serve as Assistant Camp Director for the Special Olympics, he completed his sabbatical and earned his Adapted Physical Education credential. She worked with teachers in New Orleans to provide home services. She recalls one experience witnessing her developmentally delayed three-year-old boy take her first steps. Watching her boy’s mother cry with joy, Rylak knew that the work she was doing was important.
After obtaining her certification, Rylak moved to Sarasota and began teaching physical education at Emma E. Booker Elementary School, a Title I school. Her Rylak, Sarasota County’s 2023 Innovation Teacher of the Year, loves the supportive community she finds at Emma E. Booker Elementary.
Rylak is working to change the perception that PE is all about running laps and playing dodgeball. She believes in meeting children where they are and making learning fun. Rylak can help students calm down through breathing exercises and yoga when struggling with stress.
To captivate his students, Rylak turns his room into Disney World. Her students, as they read The Little Mermaid, become mermaids and fish swim around the room. they dance and sing. Rylak enjoys these moments.
“As strange as I am,” she said.
For Halloween, Rylak hides small pumpkins, spiders, and other Halloween-related items around the arena. Once her students find them, they must group the items, complete math problems, and practice addition. She also shares her discoveries so that students can learn important life skills.
While on vacation, her lessons are inspired by the movie Elf. She creates an obstacle course that includes a tunnel connecting the North Pole and New York City. To enter the tunnel, students must complete a math problem or spell out a visual word. They can go through her seven levels of Candy Cane Forest only after answering the questions correctly. Rylak brought in a snow blower and is overjoyed to see the students excited about something completely unknown to many young Floridians. She provides “snowballs” for her students to throw to learn hand-eye coordination.
What’s amazing about these activities is how interconnected they are. Each activity engages students on multiple levels, both physically and academically. And of course they are fun.
Rylak is also committed to enabling students to play all sports. Emma E. Booker Elementary Many children cannot afford to buy equipment for sports such as lacrosse. That’s why Rylak created grants and partnered with local organizations to ensure they had the resources they needed to increase student engagement. For Rylak, good health and an active lifestyle are essential and students must be given an equal chance to find the sport they love.
Developing and implementing an exciting new lesson or starting a lacrosse team presents unique challenges. Rylak is grateful to her Jaqueline Mendolia, a physical education aide, and her supportive colleagues throughout her school. “Coach Jackie and I make a good team,” Rilak said. “I wouldn’t be here without her.”
Together, they’re constantly coming up with new ideas and plans, creating new obstacle courses, and introducing new sports, which Rylak likes. Told. That’s good. Her students are having a lot of fun and learning a lot.
About the Sarasota County Education Foundation
The Sarasota County Education Foundation, in partnership with Sarasota County schools, sponsors the Ignite Education: Teacher of the Year annual recognition. The Education Foundation is an independent philanthropic organization whose mission is to enhance the potential of every student, promote educational excellence, and educate to stimulate innovation in Read more at EdFoundationSRQ.org.
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