My name is Chris Keen I have been a teacher/coach at Manhasset High School for the past fifteen years.
I teach AP psychology and coach girls soccer and boys baseball. I started teaching at Manhasset right out of graduate school and have been fortunate to have been there ever since.
I feel so strongly about Manhasset because of how tight knit the community is. In many ways I have grown up there and I often credit my students and athletes for helping prepare me to become a father to my two children.
As a coach, I see myself as a motivator more than an “Xs and Os” coach. I feel the two hours spent on the field should be a place where kids feel safe and comfortable to destress and as much as that is true for them it is also true for me.
I love being on the field after a tough day and enjoy the relationships built between the team in many ways more than winning. I think what makes me successful as a coach is my ability to bring kids together, to motivate, and to make every player on the team feel they serve a purpose in our overall success.
While I can get a little carried away on the sidelines my girls know that I always have their back and they will do whatever it takes to help the team win. I utilize many of those same principles inside the classroom.
While the environment might look very different the goal is the same, preparing my students for life. I think many teachers and coaches often worry about test scores and wins but not every student’s success can be measured by a standardized test nor a team’s by championships.
Since we have no idea where our students will go when they leave us, I think it is our job to prepare them the best way we know how. Like on the field, I believe motivation and respect are the keys to a great learning environment. I can have all the knowledge in the world but if I do not have the student’s respect or have them properly motivated it will be for nothing.
As a teacher, my passion is evident as I often get loud and excited, in fact many kids will come into my class later in the day and say I heard you say that this morning from down the hall.
Being a teacher is the greatest job in the world because it is never redundant and when that classroom door shuts you can see the excitement and growth the students display.
Fortunately, I teach a topic that is naturally engaging to my students, but I feel it opens doors to more important discussions such as two that I make sure to talk with my kids about every year, drugs and sexual assault.
I have brought in great speakers and use different mediums to keep up with the current issues my students face and most importantly let them know I am there for them. Being a high schooler is an amazing time but also one of the most difficult and one of the primary reasons is lack of communication. In an era with endless ways to communicate via technology I feel we are more cutoff than ever, so I use my classroom as an opportunity to do just that, communicate.
Whether it be discussing the election or another tragic school shooting my students know that yes, my job is to teach them psychology, but I will also show them how it will help them in life.
It is so rewarding to attend graduations and see the excitement each class has and to see them come back proud to tell me they are studying psychology in college. For all this I am forever grateful to the Manhasset community.
