As I opened a link to watch the game footage for my Oct. 1 water polo team’s varsity home game vs. Milpitas, I saw a familiar-looking white tuft of hair at the bottom right corner of the frame. Intrigued, I bumped up the volume to hear the distinctive voice of AP Physics 1 and 2 teacher Thomas Casavant yelling “put it in the hole!”
Oftentimes the teacher-student relationship, understandably, exists solely within the bounds of the classroom. When a teacher takes time out of their busy schedules to support their students outside of the academic sphere, however, they actively invest in developing and deepening the teacher-student bond.
Every quarter of water polo begins with a sprint from the goal line to the center of the pool, a high-stakes race for possession of the ball. Every time my teammates and I lined up at the goal line to begin a game, we looked towards the stands for the comforting sight of Casavant cheering our names and flashing enthusiastic thumbs ups.
Soon, Casavant became a staple figure on the pool deck. Students who had never taken his AP Physics 1 and 2 class knew him by name and greeted him with the same energy that he poured into each and every one of our games. Casavant’s offhand remarks, awkward jokes and impassioned direction livened every game.
Casavant’s efforts outside the classroom furthered our relationship inside the classroom as well. At the beginning of my junior year I was apprehensive of working with Casavant — as with any unfamiliar teacher — but his consistent support not only opened up lively, in-class discussions with him, but also gave me the courage to stick behind and ask physics questions whenever I needed help.
“Both my sons played water polo at Monta Vista High, so I enjoy staying connected to the sport on a high school level,” Casavant told me. “It allows me to stay in touch with my students and get to know them better.”
While football games are often a focal point for community attention, most other sports are frequented only by close friends and family of the athletes. Especially for students who participate in activities that receive less student support, like water polo — which is engaging but doesn’t attract a large crowd — the presence of teachers and other staffers provides students with a massive morale boost that lets them know they are special.
This year, Casavant made an appearance at all but one home game for water polo, and he even went to three away games. While teachers shouldn’t be expected to put in such a massive time commitment, even showing up to one game allows teachers and students to connect on a level beyond what is typically possible.
“I’m definitely the quiet type in class,” senior Kirby Fung said. “If not for water polo, Mr. Casavant probably would always have known me as an introvert and not as an athlete and a leader.”
Teachers are exposed to a different side of the students they see every day in class, which allows them to better reach and understand them. By giving students the opportunity to interact with them in a non-academic setting, teachers humanize themselves in the eyes of their students and lend much-needed support.
Win or lose, my teammates and I drew comfort from the fact that we always had a die-hard supporter in the stands. Casavant’s infectious, grey-haired zeal empowered us in games and forged a deep bond between him and his students.
