Michael Wright loved to play baseball as a young boy. Coming from a family where both parents were physical education teachers, loving sports worked in Wright’s favor.

Wright, assistant professor in kinesiology and health sciences at Sacramento State, was recently received the 2007-08 Outstanding Teacher Award.

Wright decided as a young boy to teach physical education and said he never wavered from that decision.

“For me, teaching is one of the most noble professions in the world,” Wright said.

Craig Tacla, assistant professor in kinesiology and health sciences at Sac State, nominated Michael Wright for the teacher of the year award. Tacla said when someone is nominated for this award, a letter is sent to the dean indicating this person demonstrates excellence in teaching.

Wright said he holds his students to a certain standard, and he shares things with his students based on his own examples. He does not expect people to be perfect.

Tacla said Wright has a field project that he builds into his class that is not a requirement. In the spring, Wright invites students from middle schools to come to Sac State to participate in track and field events. Students getting ready to enter the teaching field receive the opportunity to teach young students for a day. It provides a way to involve these soon-to-be teachers in the local community and get hands-on experience with teaching.

Tacla said one of the reasons he came to Sac State to teach was because of Wright’s infectious attitude and that he knew Wright from graduate school.

Tacla said Wright teaches students as a whole how to teach, instill values and lead by example of living healthy lives. He tries to break old stereotypes that physical education is boring and not fun. He said Wright explains to his students they have to motivate students that are not interested in physical activity.

After graduating from college, Wright taught physical education at elementary schools and middle schools in Red Bluff and then Chico. While in Chico, an old professor stopped by and talked about placing a student teacher with him. Wright said that was when he decided to go back to school to earn a master’s degree. He said the faculty at his school pushed him even further and he went on to receive his doctorate from Oregon State.

“I had some reservations about going back to school. I didn’t want to move too far from home, but everything worked out absolutely perfect,” Wright said.

Fred Baldini, chair of the kinesiology and health and sciences department, said Wright, an expert on teaching different methodologies, is passionate and cares about what he does and has a great sense of humor.

Maureen Smith, professor in kinesiology and health and sciences, said Wright is dynamic and engaging, He brings real examples to his students with his experience of having taught physical education in elementary school because he knows what the culture is like in a real classroom.

Tacla said he has watched Wright take on leadership roles and take charge of becoming an effective teacher.

Wright said he tells his students they have to teach the cognitive or mental aspect, the affective or socialization value, and the physical development when teaching physical education.

Wright is on sabbatical this semester. He is working on accumulating technology for future use in his classes. He is working on an instructional analysis lab for students to use. The program will use digital capturing to record what student teachers are doing and allow them to use the technology for self-analysis.

Tacla said digital capturing is a new program where video cameras are placed in the classroom and students can review them later to see where their strengths and weaknesses are when they are teaching.

Wright uses this technology to identify characteristics of effective teaching and prompts his students to look at themselves in a critical manner when reviewing the video.

Wright said this new program also provides a way to download teaching events on servers, so professors can provide feedback.

Ondy Stepp, who graduates in December in kinesiology and is starting the student teaching program in January, said she had Wright for several classes.

“The thing that always stayed with me is that he is 100 percent genuine; he has the ability to give you that extra confidence when you need it to teach,” Stepp said.

Kristin Vargas-Vigil graduated in the fall of 2006 with a kinesiology degree. She joined the teaching credential program in the spring of 2007. Currently in her last year of the kinesiology graduate program with a focus on sport pedagogy, she said. Wright is a very dedicated professor who strives for excellence. Wright goes above and beyond to be your professor, friend and fellow professional, she said.

“He is the kind of teacher we all want to be,” Baldini said.

Sally King can be reached at [email protected]