We all have that one professor that stands out, who always leaves you with something to think and talk about — a professor that wants to make his students better, personally and academically. Well, zoom in into the Complejo Deportivo and you will find doctoral student and professor, Josué Giménez Santana, better known by Jósu by his students and peers. He is fully energetic, always ready to pump up his class with his positivity and get his teaching on – using games and dynamics that integrate all of his students! Without further ado, here is one of the coolest professors you’ll ever have: Jósu Giménez!
Her Campus at UPR: How many classes do you teach?
Josué “Jósu” Giménez Santana: “I teach four courses: Introduction to Recreation (RECR 3685), Recreative Sports (RECR 4055), Organization of Recreational Services (RECR 4145) and Leadership and Group Work (RECR 3695)”.
HCUPR: Do all of your classes entail group dynamics?
Jósu: “Yes, but even if they didn’t include them, I would do them either way; because those kinds of games and interactions are necessary to motivate students in their courses. Particularly, in Recreative Sports, we readapt sports to make them more fun; Leadership and Group Work, we work as a group; in this class, Introduction to Recreation, because some of the concepts and the history that we are talking about can be boring we include games in the discussion; and in Organization of Recreational Services we design paper work but we still manage to add that dynamic element”.
HCUPR: How do you balance the theory and the games?
Jósu: “We are constantly tying the games and dynamics with the essence of the class. Every single one of the dynamics and games that we plan have educational objectives and we learn through practice so that the students can implement it when they start working on the field. There’s this Recreational saying that goes: “Lo que se aprende jugando, nunca se olvida”, and that’s how we learn Recreation through Recreation”.
HCUPR: What are your class objectives and goals for Introduction to Recreation?
Jósu: “That both Physical Education and Recreation students immerse themselves in the Recreational field, that they comprehend concepts like “leisure”, “recreation” and “free time”, the profession’s history, and that they visualize themselves professionally. This class is the first step”.
HCUPR: What about your doctoral studies?
Jósu: “I am finishing a doctorate degree in Education with a specialization in Counseling. My doctoral dissertation, which I am working on now, is about Free Time Counseling; I am connecting it to the Recreational field. I am also doing some internship hours with the Student Counselor Program”.
HCUPR: What message do you have for future and aspiring Recreationists?
Jósu: “My biggest advice for them would be to always have passion for what you do. If you’re going to be a Recreationist, you need to have the right attitude; but that isn’t just one way to be in life, it’s the attitude with which we adapt to circumstances and being Recreationists we provoke pleasant surroundings through Recreation. We do not wait for stuff to happen, we make them happen! Always be passionate, show it and spread it to others”.
HCUPR: Do you have any motivational words for your current and future students?
Jósu: “Your final grade should not worry you. You need to be here mentally and with full delivery to our activities. If you are fully committed to the class and do your job, there will be no problem. There is always room for negotiations because we are not here to penalize but to help students grow personally and professionally.
As one of his students in Introduction to Recreation, I will say that I have developed a sense of belonging in this class and with my classmates thanks to the games and dynamics Professor Jósu integrates in his teachings.
Pictures by: Sara Umpierre