Alumni Q&A: Jared Lazorko ’16

It is a special aspect of the GFS community that so many alumni return to teach the next generation of students.

For alumnus Jared Lazorko ’16, this came to be while he was majoring in biology at nearby LaSalle University. He would return to GFS to visit friends and faculty, and wrestling Head Coach Paul Hammond asked him to help out at wrestling practice. This led Athletic Director Katie Bergstrom Mark, who witnessed Lazorko’s natural gravitation towards mentorship, to hire him as a coach. Nearly a decade after graduating, Lazorko continues his support of GFS students as an Upper School math teacher and varsity wrestling coach.

In the Evans Courtyard outside the Alumni Building, just a short walk from his office in Hargroves, we met with Lazorko to discuss the connections between math and wrestling, how he weaves Quaker values throughout his teaching, coaching, and more. 

How would you describe your approach to teaching and coaching?

Jared Lazorko:  Our mission at GFS is supporting students holistically in mind, body, and spirit. In the wrestling room, that is three-fold. First, it means being physically brave, showing up and being consistent, and making sure that we're working every day. 

Second, people need to be present. Are you having a fight with your friend or got a disappointing grade on a test? Leave that outside of the wrestling room, come in and be mentally present in what we’re learning and doing.

And then last but not least, it’s wrestling free. When I say free, it’s being free of doubt, free of second-guessing yourself. That comes from that spirit of believing in yourself. Those three aspects, in union, I really try to impart to my wrestlers and to students in my math class.

How does being a teacher at a Quaker school influence your coaching, and vice versa?

It gives me the opportunity to think about the students as individuals and see them and push them to grow in all the different ways that they can grow. Not just academically, but also athletically, emotionally and socially. 

Building and coming up with goals and then seeing how you can execute to get to those goals are soft skills that the kids are going to need when they get into college and into adulthood—the understanding that persistent work does pay off.

Where is the intersection of math and wrestling for you? 

Wrestling and math 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.

What is one lesson you would share with your younger self if he was in your classroom or on your wrestling team?

One of the biggest things that I would say to myself 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.

As a GFS alumnus, do you get déjà vu being on campus?

It’s so funny you say that because actually, a couple hours ago, I was walking to the Dining Hall and I ran into Anne Gerbner, who was my English teacher. A fair amount of my teachers are now my colleagues and we really get to wrestle with the idea of pedagogy and how different philosophies of teaching work together, which I appreciate.

How does being an alum impact your work as a faculty member today? 

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.

I can draw from my personal experiences to relate to the experiences of the students a little easier, a little more naturally. 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.

Why do you think so many alumni return to GFS to work or send their kids here?

I think it's very easy to get incorporated and involved in this community. Once you get involved, you always have a home to go back to. It’s the same thing with the seniors that graduated last year. We have college freshmen on campus right now who came to see teachers and friends. They show up and you can see how they're smiling from ear to ear because they feel welcome. That’s a big aspect of GFS and one we try to build and foster between parents, teachers, and students.