Revisiting 'I Am the ROI': Matt Dykstra

A typical physical education class at Ezra Millard Elementary School involves more than physical fitness. Students often get a workout for their minds as well as their bodies, connecting physical activity with concepts they’re learning in other classes.

Matt Dykstra, Physical Education Specialist at Ezra Millard, received his master’s degree in educational leadership from the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s College of Education, which will be the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences effective this fall. Kids in his classes don’t just run relays; they run place value relays where kids learn about numbers and place value while they burn calories. Many activities also incorporate lessons about the solar system; spelling and grammar; or math.

Dykstra sees value in the interdisciplinary nature of his classes. “That’s good for the kids,” he says. “They get the connection between different disciplines and they realize movement is important, and so are academics, but we do them simultaneously.”

His efforts to combine other subjects with physical activity have also continued in the midst of a pandemic. Dykstra regularly posts videos on his Twitter account featuring fun activities taking place in his gym at Ezra Millard or at home due to remote learning. These videos prove that there is no shortage of ways to bring physical education home to keep students engaged and active year-round.

Dykstra received his undergraduate degree in elementary education with an endorsement in physical education. While he never taught in a traditional classroom, he calls his undergraduate education “foundational” in incorporating academic concepts from areas like math, science, and English into his physical education classes. This foundation and an identity as a lifelong learner led him to pursue his master’s in educational leadership at UNO.

“They had a nice educational cohort, a nicely laid out program to get done in two years, and I received a sound education and a solid foundation for that continued learning,” he says. Dykstra also attributes his success to the program’s practiced instructors, who could marry concepts to real-world experiences; the cohort nature of the program; and the preparation he received for a leadership role in education.

Prioritizing family time led him to pump the brakes on pursuing an administrative role in education after graduating, but in the meantime his degree opened doors for him to come back to UNO – this time, as an instructor. For the past nine years, Dykstra has helped prepare future teachers by having them complete part of their practicum experience in his classes at Ezra Millard.

“I always tell people I have the best job in the world being a PE teacher,” he says. “The second part of that is being able to go to UNO and teach there simultaneously, which is incredibly gratifying for me to do.”