Balls used in gym class (Photo from Google Images)
P.E. Teacher Walter Marte has worked at Lincoln High School, Jersey City, for 26 years. He talks about how he feels about his career and what he does.
Panther Press: Where do you work as a P.E. teacher?
Walter Marte: I work [at] Lincoln High School, which is in Jersey City, New Jersey.
Press: Does anyone help you work or do you work by yourself?
Marte: I do team teaching. Another teacher and I team teach between 80-100 students every P.E. class.
Press: What sports do you teach?
Marte: [We do] football, basketball, kickball, speedball, floor hockey, and volleyball.
Press: What is your favorite sport to teach?
Marte: My favorite sport to teach is probably volleyball.
Press: Do you like watching sports?
Marte: Yes, I do enjoy watching pretty much all sports.
Press: What is your favorite sport to watch?
Marte: My two favorites to watch are football and boxing.
Press: What is your overall favorite sport?
Marte: When I was younger, I played football, but now I really can’t, so I do Fantasy Football. [Fantasy Football makes me feel good, and that makes me feel like football is still my favorite sport.]
Press: Do your students like you as a teacher?
Marte: I have a lot of students who like to hang out in the gym, and I try to make my class as fun as possible, so I think they [enjoy P.E. class with me].
Press: Do you like teaching?
Marte: I LOVE teaching!
Press: Why do you like teaching?
Marte: I love sports, and I love teaching students about sports, and while teaching students, I can recruit students for one of the teams in our school.
Press: Do you like your job or do you wish you had done something else?
Marte: I absolutely love my career and if I had to do it all over again, [I would teach P.E. all over again].
Press: How long have you been doing this?
Marte: I have been teaching for 26 years and I was the head coach of the boys and girls volleyball team for 21 years.
Press: Are you planning to keep going?
Marte: My goal is to do this for approximately 8-10 more years.
Press: Thank you for letting me interview you.
Marte: You’re welcome.