Kari Sagal Loves Teaching, Coaching

Arrowhead teacher Kari Sagal has been at Arrowhead for 25 years. Before teaching at Arrowhead, she taught three years at Clinton High School near Janesville.

Currently, Sagal teaches adventure education, aerobic fitness, traditional 11/12 gym, and summer adventure gym. She coaches JV basketball. In the past, she’s coached junior varsity basketball and was the assistant varsity basketball coach. She has also coached junior varsity volleyball and freshmen/junior varsity volleyball at Arrowhead.

Sagal says her father inspired her to become a teacher. He was an educator for many years and also a high school principal. He encouraged her to go into education.

She says Dave Hash inspired her to coach. He was her sophomore basketball coach for junior varsity at Monona Grove High School.

Sagal says she has always loved any kind of sport or activity. She loved football when she was in fifth grade. She wanted to be the first female coach in the NFL. Her favorite team was Packers.

“So for me, being a teacher of movement…was an easy decision for me. [I] always loved sports and movement in general,” she said.

Sagal said, “Although you don’t get rich teaching, you can’t get a more rewarding job than teaching.”

Sagal originally was thinking of majoring in elementary education. Sagal went to Marquette University for one year, played basketball, switched her major to physical education and coaching and then transferred to University of Wisconsin-Madison. She received her K-12 teaching certification from University of Wisconsin-Madison. Later, she received her masters degree from UW-Lacrosse in sports administration.

At Marquette when she took a class, and they went into another classroom as a part of the teaching course. She decided a classroom setting wasn’t for her, and decided to become a physical education teacher.

Sagal’s favorite part of teaching she says is “getting to develop friendships on different levels with my students. [I] also love being able to go outside when weather’s nice. [I] love being outdoors [and that’s] why I got out of elementary ed. I didn’t [want to] stay in a classroom.”

She says it can be frustrating when she doesn’t get parental support in coaching and teaching. At times, she says the demands of the job are more than she anticipated.

Sagal says there is no typical routine for a school day. She teaches three different classes in an A/B schedule. If in basketball season, after school she coaches.

Sagal shared her husband’s father, William Sagal, was the very first Bucky Badger mascot. He was a UW-Madison gymnast. He created the first paper mache Bucky Badger head.

One of her favorite classes to teach is summer adventure gym class. The class goes to Devil’s Lake one day and rock climbs the cliffs, which is one of her favorite activities in the class.

She says she wouldn’t change a thing about her teaching career.

“It’s very rewarding. It’s the people we work with. Like a family away from family. Encourage kids to go into teaching as well. Wear many hats. Have different jobs,” she says.