Teacher Feature: Justin Seely
Photo by Cora Kuhlenbeck
Grace Strelow
Mr. Justin Seely, a physical education teacher and coach for Hamilton, has been teaching for 10 years. In his youth, Mr. Seely attended Hamilton as a student and had some of the teachers we all have today. Seely had Mrs. Kathy Block during his years of high school. Now a colleague of his, Mrs. Block said, “He was ...one of those students who was always willing to help,” whether it was helping with cleaning up or getting ready for class. Block added, “You could put him with any student and he would always want to help them; whether he was with the strongest athlete or one who struggled, he would work with them and bring them to the next level. He was always positive and cheering others along; he was wonderful to have as a student.”
Seely also has made many friendships since he's been working at Hamilton; for example, in the questions below, he mentions Mr. Kevin Kempen, also a fellow gym teacher, as someone he would team up with in an apocalypse. When asked why Mr. Seely chose him, Kempen replied, “I would say that Mr. Seely would pick me because we’ve actually been friends for a long time even before we worked here. We have good communications skills, we work well together, and obviously he would pick me because I'm more intelligent and I make leadership decisions; I would lead him around.” As one can see, these two sure have a good friendship and would hopefully make it out of this situation alive.
Read below for the Charger Press Q&A with Mr. Seely:
What would students be surprised to know about you?
“I really, really struggled the first couple years of college. Things could have turned out much different if I didn’t find some maturity and have wonderful parents to help me through.”
What is the biggest lie you tell yourself?
“That I’m actually 5’5’:(”
What is your second favorite subject? (besides the one you are teaching now)
“History. I love reading books on history (especially the American Revolutionary War). This also allows me to have great conversations with my good friends Mr. Heckman, Mr. Roth, and Mr. Bosley.”
What superpower would you like to have?
“Probably [the power to] read minds. [It] would help big time in education.”
What fictional character best represents you?
“Lloyd Christmas.”
What do you do on Friday nights after work?
“Welp… in fall I golf as much as possible. Winter? Not much. Spring season I coach baseball.”
What are you absolutely determined to do?
“I’d love to say learn the guitar but that’s super frustrating. Probably become a better golfer.”
What's the toughest decision you ever made?
“When it is time to say goodbye to my furry friends Tu, Harley, and Gracie. That sucks. I miss them.”
How have your previous teachers shaped your teaching style?
“Tremendously. I had a number of teachers that still teach at HHS. Ms. Block and Mr. Cibulka were two of the people that I loved in high school and made me want to go into teaching in the first place. It’s funny but they are still teaching me how to be a better teacher today. I also had Mr. Heckman and Mr. Gosz in high school. I won’t go into detail about my experiences in their classes :)”
If you could go back in time to your childhood, what age would you pick to go back to and why?
“Probably high school. I had an absolute blast in and out of school!”
What is the weirdest thing you have done to get your students’ attention?
“Dress up. Act like a goofball I guess.”
What weapon would you carry during the Zombie Apocalypse? Who would you team up with?
“A Gun. No question. Mr. Kempen (even the zombies are afraid of that guy).”
If you won 100 million dollars what would you buy first?
“A personal chef and a vacation somewhere warm.”
What is something you collect?
“Wins, against our students in games like badminton, pickleball, and volleyball.”
What’s your favorite college memory?
“Living with my brother and some other friends. Ton of good times. Lots of pranks and laughs.”
What differences do you see between your morning students and afternoon students?
“Mood and grades wise. I’ve only taught 1st block a handful of semesters. In previous semesters they took a bit to get up and get moving but this year my 1st block classes have been outstanding!! To be honest I’ve been unbelievably lucky to have amazing kids in every class I’ve taught.”
What mystery do you wish you knew the answer to?
“Where Blackbeard’s Treasure is. Could be like a Goonies adventure.”
What got you interested in teaching?
“My teachers in high school made me want to be in the gym all the time. I also like helping others, and I love the content area of fitness and nutrition.”
Was this your first choice as a job?
“No question. I truly enjoy waking up to come to school everyday.”
What is the best advice you have received?
“Somewhere along the way someone told me to not take myself too seriously. I TRY and live by that advice.”
