Meet the Teacher: He inspires students through positivity, powerlifting – MLive.com

JACKSON COUNTY, MI – As both a teacher and a coach, Chris Reul works tirelessly to be the same kind of role model that he had as a kid.

Reul, 43, teaches health and physical education at Grass Lake High School. He also serves as an assistant varsity football coach and the head coach of the school’s powerlifting program, which he started in 2018.

“I just wanted something for kids to do, because there’s a lot of kids out there that weren’t doing a sport, and this was going to give them something else to work towards,” Reul said.

In its first year, Grass Lake’s powerlifting team consisted of five students. In the half-decade that’s followed, the program has grown to include 125 people.

He initially taught civics and Michigan history when he came to the district 19 years ago after graduating from Adrian College.

Reul said the driving force for him to take the job was his own good experiences with the district’s coaches and teachers, having graduated from Grass Lake High himself in 1999.

Reul spoke with MLive/Jackson Citizen Patriot about the connections he formed in both the classroom and the gym, and how he works to give that same inspiration to future Grass Lake Warriors.

Jackson Citizen Patriot: Was there a specific moment or experience that inspired you to get into the field of education?

Chris Reul: Just seeing the influence my teachers in high school had. Coach (Joe) Bechtel that our sports complex is named after, he had a great influence on me, both as a coach and a PE teacher. The interactions I had with him, and seeing the positive influence he had on all his students around him, made me want to do the same thing and be that positive role model in young people’s lives.

JCP: Why was teaching in the field you’re in such a calling for you?

Reul: I always loved sports growing up. I played football, basketball and ran track in high school, and played baseball when I was younger. I just always loved being around sports and the camaraderie it builds between the team and the coaches as well. My brother-in-law and sister are also both health and PE teachers, and I had them as role models to get me in the field and make me feel confident.

JCP: The field of education has changed and evolved in several ways in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic (remote learning is more prevalent, some students have struggled with learning loss, etc.) — in what ways, if any, have you changed or evolved as a teacher in the past few years?

Reul: I don’t think I’ve changed a whole lot. It was pretty tough teaching physical education (during COVID) and trusting that students where getting their workouts done and things like that. I think what’s changed for me is realizing how important the human interaction is, student-to-student and teacher-to-student. Being in-person was very important, and those relationships are part of your overall health. What I laughed about a little bit in retrospect is how students always said they going to school and they’re tired of school and all that, but then when they finally could come back to school, how much they missed it, and seeing their classmates and teachers.

JCP: Is there a specific moment from your career that you would consider to be the most rewarding?

Reul: There’s more than one, but one year a student was selected to be on the WinterFest court, and his parent’s weren’t able to make it so he asked me to show up and walk with him and be his representative. Things like that and just getting graduation invitations from students, are when former students will text or call me to ask if I’d write a letter of recommendation for them or be a reference – things like are what’s rewarding. It let’s you know you had a positive impact on their life and they still look to you after they graduate.

JCP: What is your favorite aspect of your job?

Reul: Just working with students each and every day. Every say is different – you have the same similar things scheduled, but with teaching high schoolers, things are going to come up. Students help keep you young.

If you know a K-12 educator in Jackson County who might make a good subject for the weekly “Meet the Teacher” series, send an email with their contact information to mkukulka@mlive.com.

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