MAHPERD "Voices From The field"
In this podcast, you will hear from educators and professionals in the field sharing their insights and experiences in the HPE (Health Physical Education) and allied fields. I hope you find this podcast informative, and inspiring. Learn about best practices and tools that you can implement in your teaching practice. We want to know not only what you do, but also the action steps you took to get you where you are. The Status Quo is not in our vocabulary folks, my guests are leaders in the field who are taking action to make an impact in their respective fields. If you have any questions or would like to be a guest on the show email mahperdpodcast@gmail.com
"If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got" Henry Ford
MAHPERD "Voices From The field"
The Human Element: Building Trust Through Project Adventure
Meet Adam Joyce, a passionate Project Adventure teacher who's transforming physical education at Watertown High School. Coming from a family of educators , Adam discovered his calling after initially pursuing history education. Today, he's dedicated to creating meaningful experiences that teach students crucial life skills through experiential learning.
At the heart of Adam's approach is the belief that quality physical education begins with teachers who genuinely love what they do. This authentic enthusiasm creates the foundation for student engagement. Beyond passion, he emphasizes the importance of diverse PE programs that expose students to various activities throughout their high school years. The ultimate goal? Helping each student discover at least one physical activity they enjoy enough to continue into adulthood.
Watertown's innovative program rotates students through specialized courses including health, fitness, individual activities, team sports, and Project Adventure. This variety ensures students experience multiple dimensions of physical wellness rather than repeating the same curriculum year after year. Parents particularly appreciate how Project Adventure offers alternative pathways to physical activity for students who don't naturally gravitate toward traditional sports.
What makes Adam's class unique is his focus on human connection in an increasingly digital world. "It's time to talk to people, get off the phones, and work with humans," he explains. His innovative capstone project challenges students to design their own games incorporating teamwork, communication, problem-solving, trust, and leadership – core skills that transfer far beyond the gymnasium walls. Some student-created games have even become permanent additions to his curriculum.
As Adam prepares to move into a brand-new facility in 2026, he reminds fellow educators about the importance of self-care: "We all need to take a breath and take a minute for ourselves." It's a fitting message from someone dedicated to teaching students not just physical skills, but how to navigate life's challenges with confidence, creativity, and connection.
Connect with Adam at adamjoyce@watertownk12.ma.us
Hello and welcome to Voices from the Field, a MAHPERD podcast where we talk with educators in the field to hear about their perspectives and experiences. My name is Jake Bersin, advocacy Chair for MAHPERD, and today I have the pleasure of speaking with Adam Joyce. Welcome, Adam.
Jake:you so much for saying yes to the podcast. Before we get started, what's making you smile these days?
Adam:So
Adam:the school year just ended. So, like any teacher, I am excited to have a little time off, mainly to spend it with my wife and son first child, who's about to turn one. So that's really exciting stuff and seeing them grow has been awesome. So that's really exciting stuff and seeing them grow has been awesome. And I'm also starting a new summer job this summer working at a camp in Weston Branches in which I'll be their ropes course supervisor, so taking the yearly job to the summer.
Adam:Very nice, is that the name of it, branches? Yeah, oh, very cool, awesome, cool, awesome, awesome. So, adam, tell us more about who you are and how you started your education journey um.
Adam:So for me, uh, I knew really young that I wanted to teach um, my dad's side of the family, um is filled with teachers, um, whether they're in public schools, uh, or uh, working at my uh, dad's parents dance studio. Believe it or not, I have a grandfather that's 92. Oh wow, he retired at 75 and it's still long-term subbing. So, yeah, it kind of runs in the blood, and you know, I really get to see the impact that they had on kids growing up, uh, and getting to be around. That was awesome.
Adam:I actually originally went for history teaching and it just wasn't for me and you know it took a year to figure that out. But, you know, left Salem for a year, went to community college and found PE, which I loved and I had a great professor there that you know really got me going in the right direction. Did two years of community college there, then went back to Salem to finish, had no luck interviewing all summer long till the week before school started and Dr Galla from Salem called me up and asked if I was still looking and then I said, yep, and she goes all right, I'm going to hang up now and somebody is going to call you for an interview tomorrow. Take it, and that was that right. And I've been in Watertown for 12 years since.
Jake:That's awesome.
Adam:It was a it was a great blessing.
Jake:That's really fantastic. You were in the right spot at the right time. Blessing that's really fantastic. You were in the right spot at the right time. And yeah, I know Dr. Gallo, she's been there a long time. She's a great professor.
Adam:So amazing, amazing person.
Jake:Very cool. So, Adam, what are some ways you engage and support your students? You're at the high school level, right?
Adam:Correct, yeah, watertown High School For me. So I teach project adventure and you know you just do so much talking about learning to work with people and in the field, working with kids. They need to know that you're invested and that you care, so right away you have to show it and you know a big part of Project Adventure is, you know, the seriousness of you know, being a high schooler and you know just whenever I get chances to talk to the kids, I don't talk about phys ed, talk about what they like, what they do, and trying to get buy-in quick. I think is huge. Trying to get buy-in quick, I think is huge. And again, I think a lot of that comes from showing interest in them and their interests outside of your world and I think if you can get that, I think the rest comes pretty easy.
Jake:Yeah, that's good advice, you know, show, be more interested in what they're about instead of trying to be interesting. So you mentioned, uh, project adventure and icebreakers. Are there certain icebreakers you like to utilize, or how does, how does all that work?
Adam:oh yeah, I've got my, my, my core set. Um, you know an early one that I like, uh, uh, rock, paper, scissors, evolution, uh. You go through different stages and you've got to win rounds as cavemen and dinosaurs, and again it's just one of those. The kids see you look foolish and a lot of them will jump and some of them still hold off. That sounds cool. That was probably a favorite.
Jake:Rock paper, scissors, evolution yeah, maybe you can send me some information about that later. Yeah, sure that sounds good. So, adam, how would you describe quality physical education?
Adam:So, first and foremost, you need teachers that love what they do. I truly believe that. I think that's where it starts. If you're just there to have a job and collect a paycheck, it's not going to work. You need to love it. In my opinion, and I wouldn't do it if I didn't love it it's a firm belief of mine. I think you need to have a well-rounded program. I think you need to. It just can't be the same thing year after year after year. You know, I I was really lucky to to see this firsthand when I student taught in Hamilton Wenham. Their program was was great. It just had everything and and different classes and you want to. In those four years you got the kids....
Adam:I think the goal should be to give them at least one thing that they might like and want to do for the rest of their lives. We have three phys ed teachers and a health teacher, so they get health, they get fitness. We do individual activities for a lifetime class, we do team sports and net wall unit, and then we have my project adventure class. I would love to see if we could diversify it more, but our schedule is kind of restrictive, it's what we got. But the more different things that you can give kids, I think the better, because, again, I think the goal should be to give them something that they can do and like after high school so that they can stay physically active.
Jake:I agree 100%, especially if they're seeing the same teacher instructor year after year. Right? Do they see everyone or do they rotate to all the instructors?
Adam:They will see each of the four of us. Yeah, we all teach our one course.
Jake:And your focus is Project Adventure right, yep, all right, awesome. So in your work with stakeholders and other professionals, are there any questions that you seem to hear again and again? In regards to physical education, no, for me.
Adam:I do get a lot of not knowing what project adventure is. It is still a very unique thing. It's not seen everywhere. You know, I got really lucky in high school being exposed to it which you know and he was an older teacher too, and I think that was even rarer. Granted, it's been around, especially in mass, since it was birthed in Hamilton, when I'm in Beverly. But, yeah, it's a lot of.
Adam:What is it? I love getting to talk about it. One of my favorite nights of the year is open house with the parents because, again, a lot of them don't know and I call it my song and dance, but I'm so passionate about it because I've been doing it for so long and getting to describe to people that it's not what they grew up with with phys ed class back years ago. Again, my goal is to get them to learn how to work with the people and to be able to take those skills out of high school. And I think, as I explain, that I love the responses and the feedback I get from people on how it seems interesting and they wish they would have had that growing up and things like that.
Adam:So I would say that's the most common is just the unfamiliarity with what it is that I teach.
Jake:Well, it's definitely a life skill to be able to communicate and work with others. I mean we need that no matter what job we end up having. Right, how to communicate, listen, trust, be honest. So you mentioned some of the parents, gave you some responses and you like their response. Were they happy when you explained to them about Project Adventure? They're like, oh, this is great. Oh, yeah, them about project adventure.
Adam:They're like oh, this is great. Oh yeah, especially from um I. I think the biggest responses I get are from the parents who have children that don't necessarily like sports, because, again, it's it's giving them something that they can take out of the class and it's still. You know, we still do some physical you know, some physically active stuff.
Adam:It's a lot less than a more traditional class, but and but. Then we do get to the rock climbing. You know part of it and that's where that comes from and and you know a lot of those kids usually really fall in love with that and we're really lucky to have a rock climbing gym in town, in watertown uh, central rock gym, and then there's also two other ones located right in Waltham, right next door. So I really like exposing these kids to the availability of different ways of being physically fit. You know, after you leave high school it doesn't just have to be sports.
Jake:Yeah, that's definitely. That's great. A lot of students they don't gravitate to the team stuff. Some of them like the individual things and like kind of that what is it challenged by choice and different things that they can do individually. So that's great. And it's also good that you have there's rock gyms around so after they get taught the skill they can go out and utilize it right away. So that's great. So what advice would you give to somebody new entering the field?
Adam:Again I hate to repeat myself, but I just said it but I do think you have to love what you do. It's been a crazy couple of years for me, but I've never gotten up and not wanted to go to work. And I'm there for the kids and I. I think you want to show up and look like what you, you like what you're doing. If you're just showing up and you're miserable and you're just there to work, um, I I think it's easier for the kids to tune you out. Wish they were on their phones and not pay attention. It goes back to that buy-in piece. I think if you can sell that you're enjoying what you're doing, I think it's a lot easier to get them to buy in with you. I think it's huge.
Jake:So let's go back to the actual curriculum piece. Do you see them for a semester? How many days a week do you actually see them for your students?
Adam:I think we've got a pretty good schedule. We're pretty lucky. We go off a seven-day schedule. You see them six out of the seven days days and it rotates what block each day, so you get to see them at different times of the day and you get to see them a lot. It's really nice. You know, I think we're pretty lucky with how much we get to see the kids.
Jake:That's unique. I've never heard of a seven day rotation schedule. Is that common in your in Watertown or your area? I've never heard had that type of schedule.
Adam:I gotta be honest with you. I I don't know um every place that I've, you know, worked well, which isn't a lot, because I've I've only been in watertown since I graduated college, but the places that I soon taught and did observation practicums, they were all different. My high school was very different. Um, I I've I've enjoyed this schedule. I do think there's a chance it might change. We're moving. Observation practicums they were all different. My high school was very different. I've enjoyed this schedule.
Jake:I do think there's a chance it might change. We're moving into a new building after next year, so we'll see. That's exciting, what's new gym space new equipment we're making out great.
Adam:It's the mock-ups and the computer animated things. They all look really nice. They've done a lot. They're ahead of schedule. I've been really lucky. I've gotten to be involved in quite a bit of the process when it comes to the gym. They didn't need to do that, but it's been really cool to see come along.
Jake:So maybe 2027, we're looking at it 2000. So we're moving in.
Adam:The move-in date is right after April break in 26.
Jake:Oh yeah, 26. Okay, yeah, so that'll be here before you know it. Can't wait. That's great, that's awesome. So, Adam, my next question. I think there's a couple of fields of thought on this. What are your thoughts in regards to AI in the field of physical education?
Adam:So so I'm going to try not to sound like a grumpy old man, even even even though I I kind of am in regards to this. It's not my favorite Again. This um, it's not my favorite um again. My course is about working with humans and learning how to work as a team, how to lead, how to communicate, how to listen, how to take a step back and process and game plan, and so for me, it's, it's I'm just like, no, like I. I it's time to talk to people, it's time to get off the phones and the Chromebooks and and and work with humans. So it's not for me and it's.
Adam:I want their opinions, I want what you guys think and saw and felt. And how did the class ultimately work together? There's no right or wrong answers. It can be good, bad, no research needed. I just want your opinions and I always get one a year that just tries to just go to chat GPpt and enter my prompt and submit it, and I'm I have I don't know if they have got one three years in a row that I've had to have a conversation with.
Jake:So uh, well, one how many? It's just not for me, right? No, no, that's okay. Um, so just going back to you mentioned they write a reflection paper. What are some of the? If you don't mind me asking what are some of the things they've said about the course?
Adam:It's. You know it ranges for each kid, some of them it really strikes home for them. They love it, they've really enjoyed it. I've had kids that just you know are in a tougher group and you know the class doesn't, you know, come together as smoothly and it's this one kid that's trying to do great and you know they're trying to drag some kids along that aren't as motivated and it's a hard class for them and you know it's fun because then I get to have that discussion with them. You know you don't always, you're not always going to be with people that are super motivated and sometimes you've got to find ways to, you know, entice them a little bit and work with them. So it doesn't feel as much like dragging, but it's, it's a reality. Like we all, we're all going to work with people that aren't going to be as motivated as us at times, absolutely.
Jake:Again, it's a life skill, the things you're teaching them, your students, so that's great. My next question is in the question that I gave you earlier, you mentioned that you give your students a project at the end of the course. Can you talk a little bit about that?
Adam:Yeah, so this one is a really great project that I love. I did originally steal it from a teacher that I was in Watertown and I've definitely gone along and tweaked it. And, uh, you actually did a podcast with a former colleague of mine, miss glenn cross. She really helped me, uh, tweak and, um, make it look like it looks today. But I'm always tweaking it. So what it is is project adventure is built of all these different initiatives, these puzzles, these problem solving activities and a great way that I get to, at the end, see if the students really understood the concepts of it. I talk about the Project Adventure themes and they get to design their own game and then they are going to create a visual aid for it, present it and then we play their game.
Jake:That's cool.
Adam:It's really cool. The the kids a lot of times really love it. Some great things are created. I've used games that kids have created and it's like I mean I I gotta think back in the 60s and 70s when project adventure was created like. This is how these games kind of came to be was just a group of people sitting there thinking up these weird funny things and you get these great life lessons out of them.
Jake:So I like that. I like that a lot. So what, um? What are some of the criteria for the games? Does it have to have certain elements in it, or what are the?
Adam:how about? The biggest one is when I like the. What I use is like the crux of my class. The project adventure themes is. We talk about teamwork, communication, problem solving, critical thinking, trust, leadership and getting out of your comfort zone, and their game has to encompass at least one of those themes and they have to be able to defend their reasoning why that is seen in their game and explain how it works. I see.
Jake:So they have to kind of like justify why they put that element in the game and how it integrates with the game.
Adam:Interesting. It's a fun thing. I love it.
Jake:Very cool. So, adam, moving on, do you have any goals for the future? That can be either personal, professional, nothing crazy. What are you looking forward to?
Adam:Personally again, like I said I'm I'm just looking forward to some time with my wife and son. It's been a pretty crazy couple of years, so I think we're looking to take a little bit of a breath now that he's one year old. Professionally, I can't say any goals. I'm just really antsy to get into our new building, get my hands on all of our new Project Adventure equipment and space and get rocking and rolling on that. It's been a trying couple of years being in a temporary space, so really the focus has been on that and the light of the end of the tunnel is close.
Jake:It'd be good to have a spaceship that's your own right.
Adam:You know that's great. It's been rough.
Jake:Well, like you said, the light's at the end of the tunnel. Yeah, do you have any advice you can share with our listeners, anything that you want them to take away? Advice.
Adam:Yeah, I think we can all get caught up in so much and I sometimes need to do this, but every once in a while, I think we all just need to relax, take a breath, take a minute for ourselves. I don't think we all just need to relax, take a breath, take a minute for ourselves. I don't think we all do that enough. I think in teaching you see a lot of burnout, and especially at my district, we've gone through some teachers in these last couple of years and it's sad to see some good teachers too and I think we all put too much on ourselves. I think, somehow, someway, we all put too much on ourselves. I think I think, somehow, some way, we all need to find more time to to take a second, take a minute for yourself and and just don't let yourself get burnt out well said.
Jake:You know, we all need that time for ourself. You know why stress ourselves out, right and uh, we all. We all have what, what calms us, so that's great advice. So, adam, if our listeners have any questions, is there any way they can connect with you? And we all have what calms us, so that's great advice.
Adam:So, adam, if our listeners have any questions, is there any way they can connect with you Any email you want to give? Yeah, my work email's best. I'm not a big social media person, so work email's best. And that's adamjoyce at watertownk12.maus.
Jake:Perfect, and I'll make sure to link that in the show notes so our listeners can get that Awesome. Thank you so much for sharing your experience and expertise with us Listeners. If you have any questions, you can email us at mayfordpodcast at gmailcom. We'll have this episode uploaded soon. Also, we're asking our listeners to leave a review if this podcast has been helpful in supporting you in any way, as it does help listeners find it. Thank you all for listening. Have a great week and we'll be back soon. Thanks, adam. Thank you, jake.
