Mr. Burke |  Physical Education |  Ascent Classical Academy Douglas County

ABOUT ME

I'm a first year PE Teacher at Ascent. I moved here from my home state of Connecticut, also proudly known as the Constitution State and the Land of Steady Habits. I was drawn to Ascent by their eternally worthwhile mission and pledge, as well as the opportunity to coach students along in their athletic ambitions. Sports have been a natural part of my life since I was very young. I played soccer and basketball competitively throughout high school and had the honor of winning a State Championship with my soccer team in 2011. Since then, I have developed a passion for running, and I have completed two marathons. In 2019, I became an NASM-certified personal trainer, and I recently graduated from Western New England University with my bachelor's degree in political science. I'm grateful to be a part of Ascent's team and look forward to learning a lot this year.

EDUCATION PHILOSOPHY

In Wooden on Leadership, John Wooden writes, "Set your standards high. Do the absolute best of which you are capable. Focus on running the race rather than winning it... Don't lose sleep worrying about the competition. Let the competition lose sleep worrying about you." Given Coach Wooden's incredible success in college hoops, I think I'll adopt his philosophy. I will implore my students to put their best foot forward each and every day. I will ask them to compare themselves to who they were yesterday, not who somebody else is today. In doing so, I hope to develop in my students an attitude of industriousness and self-improvement because these are indispensable qualities to citizens of a prospering republic.  

WHAT I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO

I'm looking forward to learning alongside my students. A wise man once said that the best way to really learn a subject is to teach it. I'm grateful to have that opportunity and to be supported by an awesome group of educational professionals.