Student teacher Collin Kerfoot has brought his unique combination of life experience and passion for history to Mrs. Suzy Burket’s freshman U.S. history classroom this fall.

Once set on a career in sports administration, Kerfoot’s path to teaching has not taken a traditional path, but his students appreciate his strong content knowledge and his kind nature.

“He is really fun to talk to, super sweet, motivates me, and has helped me with a fundraiser. When Mr. Kerfoot leaves, I’m going to miss him dearly, as well as the vibes he radiates in the classroom,” freshman Phoebe Hamilton said.

Kerfoot graduated from Philipsburg-Oceola High School in 2015 and Lock Haven University in 2020.

He began college as a social studies education major, but switched to sports administration because he had always dreamed of working in college football in some capacity.

After graduating from Lock Haven, Kerfoot said it was difficult for him to get his foot in the door in the sports world due to the pandemic.

He decided to change career paths in October 2020, after being encouraged by his step-mom to apply for a position as an assistant junior high boys basketball coach at West Branch Area School District.

“I thought, well, this would look good on my resume since it was sports-related, even if it was on a lower level, and I’d get to coach my cousin Joel. I applied and got the position,” Kerfoot said.

Through coaching, Kerfoot discovered that he had a real passion for teaching, “even if it was just [teaching] a handful of plays to run during a basketball game,” Kerfoot said.

While coaching, he was also hired at a manufacturing plant in Philipsburg.

“While there, I was able to work my way up to become a department lead, where I instruct new hires on how to work on the various parts that the company produces. Skills I’ve gained from both these experiences [coaching and manufacturing] transfer well into teaching. They have both taught me how to be an effective leader, which has helped me so far during student teaching,” Kerfoot said.

He is currently enrolled in a teacher education program through Liberty University’s online degree program and plans to graduate this semester.

“I’d have to say getting my teaching degree online has been a good experience. One pro of getting a degree online is that you can work at your own pace to an extent. There are some cons to going completely online. One of them is that communication isn’t ideal. For example, if you have a question on an assignment, you have to email your professor and hope they see the email,” Kerfoot said.

Kerfoot credits his supervising teacher, Mrs. Burket, with helping him to develop his classroom management and teaching style.

“[Mrs. Burket] has taught me a lot so far, and given me lots of tips to help me become a better teacher,” Kerfoot said.

Burket has worked with many student teachers over the years, but Kerfoot is the first who has done all of their coursework online. She said that it has been interesting to see how Liberty University operates its cyber program.

Burket also credits Kerfoot’s prior work experience as a strength in his teaching.

“He comes to us with more life experience than the average student teacher,” Burket said. “He has a love of history, strong content knowledge, and I think he first won his students over with his shoe collection!”

Kerfoot is happy with his new career path so far and looks forward to getting a full-time teaching position somewhere local.

“I chose to become a teacher because I’ve always enjoyed history, and after coaching junior high and youth sports, I’ve discovered I enjoy teaching kids, bringing it all together,” Kerfoot said.

When he isn’t in the classroom, he can be found attending sporting events, especially Pittsburgh Steelers football games, or attending concerts or the movies with his wife.

Kerfoot says that he has enjoyed being a part of the Tyrone High School community.

“The students have been very respectful and good to teach, and everyone in the community can come together as a diverse group,” Kerfoot said.

He has also been able to share one of his hobbies with students on dress-down days. Kerfoot is a sneakerhead with a collection of over 100 pairs of athletic shoes.

Some of his favorites are his three pairs of Travis Scott Air Jordan 1s, his Air Jordan 1s made for the Spider-Man across the Spider-Verse animated film, Stranger Things Vans, Batman Converse, and a pair of Post Malone Crocs, just to name a few.

“I have close to 120 pairs of shoes. I like to try and get sneakers that are collaborations with another brand, person, or piece of media that I also enjoy. When I’ve worn something other than dress shoes to class, students tend to notice, compliment me, and ask what other pairs I have,” Kerfoot said.

Kerfoot mentioned several students who have positively affected his experience as a new teacher.

“Freshman Gavin Henry always talks to me about things outside of school, common interests, and both freshmen, Phoebe Hamilton and Piper DeStefano, both break the tension in situations and can have a good laugh; never a dull moment with them,” Kerfoot said. “Braylon Plummer and Lloyd Friday almost ask me daily if I have any pictures of my whole [shoe] collection.”

He hopes to return to the area and teach somewhere between Tyrone and Bellefonte after graduation.

“He’s such an amazing teacher; he never fails to make me laugh, and I love having him,” freshman Piper DeStefano said.