Time management can be difficult as a teacher, let alone a teacher who leads and helps many different clubs and organizations. Hazelwood West’s Nick Kuper shares information about how he manages his time while being a leader and sponsor for many different clubs and organizations here at West. Kuper is a new sponsor for Hazelwood West Student Council, followed by leading Fellowship Of Christian Athletes, Pep Club, being the swim coach, and teaching multiple different subjects such as Driver’s Ed, Physical Education, and Personal Fitness.
Kuper shares that the most important thing to him about leading these organizations is seeing the kids outside of the school day and developing relationships beyond the classroom. He says that it’s important for the kids who are interested in these clubs to meet other people and build relationships with the people that share similar thoughts and creativity. He shares that out of all of the clubs he is a part of, he does not have a favorite because each includes a different mix of kids who are all great students to work with.
Kuper expresses that his biggest inspiration for being a part of these organizations is his mom. He claims that after being in that environment for so long it really pushed him to be involved and lead these kinds of things.
“She always puts others before herself and being raised in that environment really has an impact on the way you view those kinds of things,” Kuper said.
Kuper is the former varsity baseball coach here at Hazelwood West and he says that he stopped coaching baseball for the sake of his time so that he can spend more quality time with the important people in his life and it stopped the interference with the driving program he leads for students after school hours.
“Depending on the season, and the day, I usually have enough downtime when I get home dedicated to my peace and quiet.” Kuper said.
Because Kuper runs so many organizations for school, he claims that he does not partake in any other extracurriculars for himself because most of his time is spent at or doing things for school. He says that if he had more time outside of school, he would take part in other activities and organizations just because he does enjoy the social interaction.
Even though Kuper spends lots of time involved with the school, there is still time for him outside of school especially during the summer time. Kuper says when school is out of session, he likes spending time with his friends and family and loves getting out there on the grill and having a good ol’ barbeque. He loves nature too, he spends lots of time outside, whether it’s hiking, or running, he enjoys being outside when he can. When given the opportunity, Kuper also considers himself “the biggest beach bum there is” because when he is able to travel, he will always be traveling to a beach. Kuper also throws a shoutout to his dog, Jerry, and mentions that he loves spending time with him.
Kuper says that without Google Calendar, life would be a mess. He makes sure that he is always marking his calendar and checking it making sure that nothing infers and that he has a solid schedule getting him through day by day.
“Google Calendar really became my best friend,” Kuper said.
Hazelwood West is lucky to have such a dedicated teacher that is willing to support students in a variety of ways.
