Name: Jager Reissmann
Hometown: Weston
Major: Health and Human Performance
Position: Health and Physical Education teacher at St. Croix Central School District
As a middle school student in Weston who enjoyed gym class, Jager Reissmann first thought he might like to work as a physical education teacher when he grew up.
“I remember thinking ‘This seems like a really great job,’” Jager recalled. “I looked at my phy ed teacher and thought ‘They really get to do this for a job and get paid for it? It seems like such a fun job to have.’”
A decade later, as he prepares to graduate from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls on May 4 with a degree in Health and Human Performance, Jager will be doing just that. On March 28 he learned that he has been hired to teach physical education to students in grades five through nine in the St. Croix Central School District.
The position is a dream job for Jager, of Centuria, who is physically active and played wide receiver on the UWRF Falcon football team.
“I am so excited to have this job and am very grateful for the opportunity,” Jager said. “To have the opportunity to work in a job you are passionate about, that is a wonderful thing.”
While he appreciates physical education just like when he was a teenager, Jager now realizes the challenges that come with the job. As a high schooler, he worked with younger students in an activities-based course, and he observed teachers as they educated students.
Jager gained additional experience teaching students during his time at UWRF. He cites an adventure education class he took during his first semester in college with teaching him the importance of educators building relationships with students. He praised the preparation he received and credited his professors in the university’s Teacher Education Program for imparting high-level educational instruction.
“Now I know the job is not as easy as it looked as a kid,” he chuckled. “It’s not just about playing sports and games with students. There is a lot that goes into being an effective teacher.”
Like other students in his class, Jager faced challenges during his time at UWRF because of the coronavirus pandemic. The pandemic meant he was not able to do all his student teaching in classrooms but instead did that learning virtually, watching videos of effective teaching methods.
“Going through student teaching during COVID and not being able to be in the classroom for all of that was really tough,” he said. “It wasn’t like we could go into the school and learn in real time by teaching in a classroom.”
However, that experience was valuable, Jager said, because it taught him that oftentimes plans go awry and adjustments are necessary. In fact, being adaptable is key to being an effective teacher, he said.
When Jager received a phone call offering him the teaching job at St. Croix Central, he felt both surprised and grateful. It was the first job he interviewed for.
Jager said he may someday become an athletic director or serve his school in another administrative role. But for now, he’s excited to connect with students and help them not only be physically fit but emotionally well.
“This is the job I’ve always wanted,” he said, “so to be able to start my career doing something I love, it feels really good.”