Flowery Phys Ed instructor new to Flowery but not to teaching

Michael Amaral is so happy with his new job he can picture himself doing it for 30 years. He is a Physical Education teacher at Altimira Middle School. “I enjoy the kids. I have a great relationship with them. As long as I can have these feelings, I’ll continue to teach,” said Amaral.
Born and raised in Petaluma, Michael Amaral was determined to get a teaching job close to home and his family. That meant working as a substitute teacher last year, even though he was qualified to be a regular teacher. But his effort paid off—he found a job just over the hill from home at Altimira.
Amaral, 25, received his California Teaching Credential from Sonoma State University (SSU) in 2006. His bachelor degree in kinesiology—the study of human movement—prepared him for a career teaching Physical Education. The courses he took, however, went a little beyond the classes you might imagine for a P.E. major. For example, he had one semester in dance, learning ballroom-, line-, and square- dancing—not exactly what you picture your middle school P.E. teacher doing.
Teaching is something Amaral has waited a long time to do. Eleven years to be exact. He knew he wanted to be a teacher when, as a sophomore in high school, he was a counselor for an Outdoor Education Program. He stayed with that program for eight years.
For him it’s all about the connection with his students.
“One of the best things about teaching is interacting with the kids. Hearing the funny witty little comments they make,” he said. “I like helping them learn but I also like being a tutor or mentor to them and being someone they can go and talk to.”
But all is not peaches and cream in the teaching world. Amaral finds it challenging to follow some of the rigid requirements of the education system. For example, teaching students how to swim without a swimming pool! He had to do this as a sub last year because protocol says ninth graders must learn how to swim even if the school doesn’t have a swimming pool. He taught them as much as he could on paper.
Amaral is comforted, though, by the progressive nature of his fellow teachers at Altimira. “The people I work with are very open-minded and are trying to make our program better,” said Amaral.