By: MMACHS Staff
Our health-science and CTE department will look a little different this year, as we welcome Mr. Jonathan Skaar to the MMACHS team.
Mr. Skaar, who will be taking over our Health Professions, Health Applications, and Sports Medicine / Rehabilitation Services classes, comes to us by way of California, where he most recently held the role of Professor of Kinesiology at The Master's University in Santa Clarita. Previously he had been a head athletic trainer at the high school level and an assistant athletic trainer at TMU.
While Mr. Skaar has a long career in the field of sports medicine and athletic training, he originally thought he would pursue an occupation that involved mathematics. But a baseball injury during his sophomore year of high school shifted his perspective.
"I sustained an injury to my left shoulder that resulted in the inability to fully raise and control my arm. I still managed to play a full season, but a stretch of time in physical therapy got me back to full function. The experience of feeling helpless, confused and frustrated and having someone help me find the right solution left a lasting impression on me."
This new path led him to experiences working with athletes at both the high school and college level.
"I started off my career working as a high school athletic trainer and physical therapist aide. I took any side hustles I could find to earn more and increase my experience in the field. I have worked everything from lacrosse and football to cheer and dance. It has been a fun experience learning about a variety of sports and connecting it with how the human body is designed to adapt to all the demands we place on it."
While he has plenty of experience on the sidelines, most recently Mr. Skaar has been a full time professor focused solely on teaching the skills he learned over the course of his career.
"My time in the classroom has been an equally unique experience. In my first couple of years teaching at The Master’s University in Santa Clarita, CA, I was consistently the last one standing in the local Starbucks most nights of the week. I was single at the time and threw everything into wanting to feel like a seasoned professor. I have learned so much in my eight years of teaching higher education."
During that time he has developed his own philosophy on education, which he believes serves to not only teach students the necessary content, but also prepare them for their life and careers.
"I try as much as I can to consider the whole person when it comes to education." he says, "I believe that every day we are presented with opportunities to learn. Sometimes it is through textbooks, tests, quizzes, papers, presentations and the like, but other times it is through unforeseen hardships and all of the challenges we are faced with in life. These situations often reveal what is inside us, but they also provide opportunities for growth. Careers in the allied health professions are very rewarding but can be very stressful."
"My hope is that students will not only be equipped to enter their careers intellectually but will also understand how to live well. Maintaining their own health and wellness will put them into a more advantageous position in helping others."
While Mr. Skaar comes to us via California, he has called many places home throughout his life.
"I grew up in a family of six. I am the youngest, with two older brothers and an older sister. My family moved around a lot - none of my siblings were even born in the same state. I was born in Oahu, Hawaii and spent my childhood in Maryland before moving to California. I have lived in Southern California for 28 years, but, to be honest, I still feel like an east coast kid."
And now he's excited to call Idaho his home.
"Moving out of state is something that I discussed with my wife when we first started dating. I am so thankful for the life I have had in California, but the east coast kid in me still misses seasons, snowy Christmases, and a way of life that permits the means to stop and reflect. I am thrilled about the new opportunities and experiences that lie ahead of us in the great state of Idaho!"
As for joining the team at MMACHS, Mr. Skaar is excited to jump in head first.
"I am fascinated by the dynamic MMACHS has in secondary education. I have always wished that many of my college students would have had the opportunity to get greater exposure to the allied health professions prior to entering their college years. The standard that MMACHS sets blows me away and I am so excited to get going and learn from the staff here. I have already had wonderful experiences with everyone I have met so far."
We are thrilled to welcome Mr. Skaar to the team!
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