Rowing Prepares Templin for Life as a Teacher
By Ben Coldagelli
https://soonersports.com/news/2021/3/23/lessons-from-rowing-prepare-templin-for-life-as-a-teacher.aspx
Senior rower Amber Templin has always had a passion for learning. From an early age, she was interested in teaching and the importance of education. It’s no surprise she chose to pursue a career as a teacher.
Templin credits her early passion for education to her fifth-grade teacher, Mrs. Barrette.
“She just had a great way to teach,” recalls Templin. “Fifth grade is such a big year in education because there’s so many standardized tests that students need to take. It was amazing how she made all of that so fun and engaging. She was a role model for me.”
Growing up in Enterprise, Alabama, Templin’s high school had a unique opportunity for her to explore her passion through an education training program. Starting as a sophomore in high school, Templin was able to take courses on the history of education and use free periods to observe teachers at nearby elementary schools. She learned concepts such as lesson planning, crafting objectives and teaching techniques.
“I loved it the second I started it,” she said.
Following three years of dipping her toe into the waters of teaching, Templin was committed to finding the best education for herself – leading her to Norman and the University of Oklahoma.
“OU has such a detailed (elementary education) program,” Templin said. “We get so many different types of experiences. We have an urban setting, a rural setting and a suburban setting. There’s just so much that the college does to make sure that we are prepared as educators so that we’re essentially hirable and will be good at what we do.”
Templin came to Norman wanting to become a teacher. She had no idea she’d also become a Division I athlete.
Growing up as a competitive gymnast, Templin had an athletic background but had no plans to pursue becoming a college athlete. A few months before heading to campus, she found an announcement inviting students to try out for the novice team in Oklahoma’s rowing program.
“Originally, I didn’t think anything of it,” Templin recalls. “I was like, ‘OK, that sounds really cool that they offer that.’ I just kept going back to that email. I thought it was so nice that you could walk on to a program, and I had never heard of rowing, really. It wasn’t really something I watched. So, I was like, ‘you know what, I’ll try it. I tried it — and I absolutely loved it.”
Templin’s passion for teaching and learning were about to become even more important. After making the team, she needed to learn the technique and skills of a sport she had never competed in. A perfect opportunity to put the power of learning into practice.
“I think patience is a big thing. Knowing that you’re not going to get it right away, that this is something new and it’s going to take a while for you to get it. I’m still learning. Learning is something that you always consistently do as educators, that’s something we really believe in – that you're constantly learning even as a teacher. As a rower and as an athlete, it’s refreshing to remember that you’re not going to be perfect every day and you’re going to still learn and just strive to get better.”
Templin’s patience and willingness to learn has paid off. After joining the novice team as a freshman, she enters her senior season competing in OU’s Second Varsity 8 boat.
Just as her passion for education has helped Templin become a better rower, her experience as an athlete has made her a better educator.
“Rowing has really taught me teamwork and collaboration,” Templin said. “Being in a boat where you have to work together — you’re different people with different backgrounds and have different experiences. You have to find a way to work together to reach your common goal.
“Education is such a collaborative field. I’m in my fifth-grade team that I’m with for student teaching. We plan instruction as a group as a team and it’s so interesting to see the different teaching styles work together but all reaching a common goal to teach the students the same material. Rowing has really helped me with the collaborative aspect of teaching.”
Templin has shown diligence in her coursework and was recognized by the Big 12 with its highest academic honor: the Dr. Gerald Lage Academic Achievement Award. She was one of 11 OU student-athletes (across all sports) to earn the honor, which requires a cumulate grade-point average of at least 3.80 with 100 hours of earned credit.
The senior was also one of 10 Big 12 recipients of a grant from the College Football Playoff Foundation as part of its Go Teach initiative, awarding scholarships to student-athletes pursuing a career in education.
“I’m so happy to see Amber receive the Go Teach grant,” said head coach Leeanne Crain. “She is most deserving of this recognition and has worked really hard this spring to manage an extremely challenging schedule that includes five days a week of student-teaching. I honestly don't know how she balances it all and still shows up to practice with a smile on her face. She is an inspiration to us all, and I’m so proud of her entering the teaching profession, knowing that she’ll make an impact on so many young lives.”
Templin is excited to begin teaching full-time after graduating, but is fully embracing her final few months as an Oklahoma student-athlete.
“I have just been so thankful for the opportunity,” Templin said. “I didn't think I was going to do athletics in college…Being an education major can be a lot, and then juggling being a student-athlete, it can be taxing at times, but it’s just been so wonderful. OU has just been so supportive, through the College of Ed and through the athletics department. Everyone has just been so wonderful, and I’m so thankful for everyone who has impacted my college career.”