Division: Upper School
Teaches: Upper School Math; Varsity Wrestling Coach
When Jared Lazorko ’16 was a college student at nearby LaSalle University, he was invited by wrestling Head Coach Paul Hammond to stop by and help out with a wrestling practice. Then-Athletic Director Katie Bergstrom Mark happened to be in the wrestling room at the time, and witnessed Lazorko’s natural ability to work with students and his proclivity towards mentorship. This led her to to bring him on as a coach.
Now, Lazorko has been a GFS varsity wrestling coach for ten years and a math teacher for six. He's also a counselor at GFS youth sports summer camps, and through these various avenues, he interacts with students from Kindergarten through twelfth grade!
Jared Lazorko ’16 (center) is a varsity wrestling coach, Upper School math teacher, and GFS camp counselor.
The intersection of math and wrestling... is that they are both very technical. Techniques that are taught in third- or fifth-grade math also come up for sophomores and seniors in Upper School. I think that's the same thing with wrestling. Especially with younger student athletes, there's a lot of scaffolding and breaking down moves into parts to help with retention and understanding.
One way being an alum impacts my experience as a teacher is... that even though the school has changed a lot in the decade since I was a student, I feel like I can understand the student experience a little differently than other faculty members. Being able to bring that to my classroom creates a space of learning and safeness so that kids can step out of their comfort zones.
A fair amount of my former teachers are now my colleagues and... we really get to grapple with the idea of pedagogy and how different philosophies of teaching work together, which I appreciate.
One piece of advice I would give to my younger self is... to not be scared to try. As a student I was a little too nonchalant sometimes—there were times where I felt like I was too scared to be good. I try to push my students to be extraordinary and be extra positive, to not run from that fear of being hurt.